The best part about summer vacation is the two weeks leading up to it.

Anticipation is everything.

Mrs. Tuccio&8217;s fourth-graders finished their final tests last week, eased off the gas pedal and put it into to coast mode.

If there are no more tests, then there&8217;s no reason to study. Without studying and homework, school&8217;s a party.

Think about it, you go to a safe environment surrounded by all your friends. There are special snacks, longer recesses and movies. Sounds like a party to me.

The signs of an impending summer (yes, impending) began with last week&8217;s annual award&8217;s program. Mrs. Tuccio&8217;s class joined three other classes in the cafeteria to receive their awards in front of their parents. In typical elementary school fashion, one or two students in each class completed a sweep of all the important categories. (Of course, everyone gets an award, even if it&8217;s just for reading fair participation &8212; a mandatory thing.)

A few notables: Denisecya King was one of only two in the four-class group to received the Duke Talent Identification Program award; Walter, Kenneth and Nyelah had perfect attendance and Dezzie, Jesse, Terrica and Sidney were on the honor roll.

But it was the Terrica/Sidney duo that made the rest of the class look silly. The girls tied for highest average in math, science, social studies, reading and language arts &8212; every fourth-grade subject.

School award ceremonies are the things comedy writers can get great material from, but they are necessary for the students. Those who&8217;ve worked hard and achieved are overly rewarded. The rest may feel left out, but there&8217;s a lesson in that, too.

Plus, they have to do something on those days after tests but before summer.

By Monday the teachers had shifted into coast, too, and the kids were barely containable.

Class work consisted of crossword puzzles, and recess went from its normal 30-minute time frame to more than an hour. (There is such a thing as too much recess, some kids discovered. Hot days make you sweaty and tired.)

Teachers made plans to swap copies of &8220;Finding Nemo&8221; and &8220;The Lion King.&8221; And students debated what snack to bring for Tuesday&8217;s &8220;fun day.&8221;

This is the life. I hope they enjoyed it; it only goes downhill.

Anticipating summer is great. You have dreams of freedom, the pool, TV, no homework, trips. But next week, you&8217;ll be bored.

Admit it. Every child gets bored during the summer. (Even you.)

Two months with no daily scheduled events is a long time. And come Aug. 1 &8212; admit it or not &8212; everyone&8217;s ready for school.

Natchez public schools will dismiss for the year around noon today. McLaurin and other local schools are sure to be a mad house for a few more hours.

Then, let the bored-fest begin.

To read &8212; and see &8212; more on Mrs. Tuccio&8217;s class and the end of fourth-grade, see page 1C in today&8217;s paper.

Julie Finley

is the managing editor for The Natchez Democrat. She writes a weekly column based on experiences with Marty Tuccio&8217;s homeroom class at McLaurin Elementary. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or

julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com

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