Teaching with 3 weeks remaining

Is it fair for teachers to go to school everyday counting down the days til' the summer? Today I heard, "three days left this week, a four day week, a full week, a four day week . . . then summertime" Is this a quote from an apathetic teacher or a honest, candid, expressed frustration from a terrific teacher?

In this case, I would say the quote is from a terrific teacher teaching a troubling curriculum to troubled teens. The curriculum is troubling because the curriculum does not resolve the trouble in the teens life. What is the purpose of education if it does not alleviate some pain and solve some problems for the learner? What good is a knowledge of the past that ignores or does not connect with the issues in the present?

With three weeks remaining, teachers are trying to keep the students' minds focused on education NOT vacation. With three weeks remaining, teachers are trying to see the (student) progress and transformations that have occurred over the course of the year. If teachers do not see any progress (with three weeks remaining), it is understandable how they may feel like they are failures and the year was unsuccessful.

The only solace when faced with such a disappointing self-evaluation could be the fact that it is almost over. And for many teachers, it becomes glaringly clear why they would say, " . . . three weeks remaining".