Our last day at the co-op was cancelled during class.

I was sitting with my high school students, asking them about what they learned this year when we were told they were calling the day for inclement weather.

There was a big hail storm a couple of months ago so everyone’s all antsy about our usual spring storms.

I, at least, got to see some of my students before I had to gather up all my kids and head out, but it was a heart-breaking way to end the year.

I didn’t get to say goodbye to my upper elementary writing students, or make them write about what they love about summer and what their dream vacation would be. haha

My 11 and 5-year-olds were pretty devastated. But, like many experiences in life, it was a teachable moment.

Life isn’t fair.

Sometimes the days that you think will be the best end up sucking and sometimes your worst days will become your best. It was also a lesson in understanding that we cannot control everything.

I always try to teach my children that the only things we can really fully control in life are our actions and our reactions, and we can’t even always control those. Because we’re human and everyone makes mistakes.

We didn’t even get strong winds and that was frustrating. I was out there yelling at the sky like, “There better be a damn tornado today, cancelling my class!”

But all jokes aside, yesterday’s abrupt ending reflected the year itself. This was the first year that I took over directing students in creating the co-op’s literary magazine The Luminous.

I had to change a lot, and that ended some regular practices for the students who had been with the publication for years. The students who were new to the class also had to accept when their stories needed to be updated or things didn’t go their way.

We weathered some serious storms, and averted a few. My younger students had to bear with me when they didn’t feel like writing and I encouraged them to put forth the effort to focus and do the work even when they wanted to go chase the clouds.

Even helping out in the nursery with my little ones and the other little kids who are too young to go to class held it’s ups and downs, because all of the mothers volunteering with those sweet kids feel for them when they have bad days.

Life is always living. Storms or no storms it goes on.

My kids have a few more weeks of lessons before we’re done for our summer break. And my eldest is taking her Hi-SETs and graduating early so that’s terrifying.

Thankfully we have an end of year picnic next week and then we can all have a fun break before looking forward to what next year will bring.