School's out for summer!

Today is the last day of school. As many of you may or may not know, I am a substitute teacher for the Kodiak School District. I work at all of the schools, from elementary to high school. I started on April 16th and have been called in to work every single school day since.
Initially, I was scared. I mean, do you remember how we used to treat substitute teachers when we were kids? They were the victim of every prank, never knew our real names, and spent a majority of the time trying to keep the sound level of the class just low enough that other teachers didn't come running. Would I be able to handle classrooms full of scheming children determined to make me cry? As it turns out, I WAS able to handle it and the kids were actually pretty cool. So far, they haven't even TRIED to make me cry.
Yesterday, I was the music teacher at one of the elementary schools. I walked into a kindergarten classroom, sing-a-long video in hand, and quietly waited while the teacher finished up. "Alright class, let's get ready for Mrs. Z!", she said. "Mrs. Z is so beautiful today!", one of the little girls piped up, obviously appreciative of the simple dress I was wearing. I couldn't help but smile. I LOVE kindergartners and their expressive opinions.
When I was the culinary arts teacher at the high school I learned how to make homemade cornbread. How did I not know how easy it is? I also quickly learned what a salmon tranche was so I could guide the students in making one. Somehow, no one got burned or cut a finger off when we made rice pilaf flecked with bacon and onion. We almost set off the smoke alarms in the school, but my belly was filled with yummy food that day!
I have been a weightlifting teacher, a computer graphics teacher, and a P.E. teacher. I've communicated with disabled children through velcro pictures, played freeze tag with fourth graders, examined very realistic Alaskan animal poop replicas with first graders, and directed the band through songs that I played back when I was in high school. I'm also garnering a nice little collection of artwork on my fridge from doting second graders.
Everywhere I go, kids wave and shyly say "Hi, Mrs. Z!" I'm becoming friends with teachers and aides and other substitutes. Slowly but surely, I feel like I'm becoming a part of the community of Kodiak and not just of the Coast Guard base.
Thank goodness I didn't let fear stop me. I'm having such a good time being a teacher without all of the responsibilities of making lesson plans and grading papers.
But as I said, it is now the last day of school. I look forward to going back to work in the fall but like most of the kids, I'm anxious to get my fill of summer fun over the next three months. I'll keep you posted!