Run Through the Finish Line

 

My sons run in track.  I notice that many runners, when finishing a 400 meter or 1600 meter event, slow down and stop on the finish line.  They probably gain at least a second in their time and that can be the difference between 1st and 2nd place.  I always tell my kids to run through the finish line and then slow down and stop.  Why am I telling you this?  I see this week as that last moment before the finish line.  We are 8 days away from the end of school.  We are not at the end of school.  I am not letting up this week at all.  I have high expectations for the 5th graders and am keeping them very busy.  We have more work to do.  Consider Field Day next Wednesday the finish line...and the two days after that the slow down and stop.  Then at 1PM on June 1st, you can gulp down the gatorade and stretch out on the grass, knowing you did your very best.  This week we have an essay to write, a math review test to take, and Latin to review.  I'm still filling heads with knowledge about history and the volume of prisms.  We even began reading a new book today.  We are going to sprint through the finish line.  Please don't expect to slow down until you've crossed it.