OK...so I am two weeks into my summer vacation and I am already starting to feel the blues. Not because I have any desire to get back to work or that I am not relishing my time away from being scrutinized and observed and counted on on a daily basis. But overall, once again, I am finding something lacking. Like my time right now has no purpose. I generally tend to be a "woman on a mission". This summer I really have no mission - no end goal I hope to achieve, just lots of empty time.
I do have lots of trips and things planned for my break and this week I had three days in a row where I did not wake up before 10 or even think of getting out of bed until 11! BUT once again, my goal achieving self can only find joy in these occasions on an infrequent basis. I have not had a complete summer off ie not work or school or super long excursion planned since before my junior year in high school.
Since the fall of 2003 I have been in school or working on a regular basis and now that I have 2 months off with no schedule or set-in-stone plan, I'm going a little crazy. I mean I wonder why you haven't stopped reading now as I realize I just keep talking about the same thing over and over again.
I could bust out a list of "Summer To-Dos" - short term goals to fill the empty spaces - organizing my closet or CD collection, read books to help me out with my classroom management, read books just for the fun of reading books, watch full TV series that I have wanted to watch start to finish, etc etc the list goes on.
My plan for the summer and the rest of the year, is to figure out something to do NEXT summer. Something that will make a difference to someone else. Something that will be a good and productive use of my time. Something that allows some time to check off a few of the above mentioned items. Something that provides my soul time to rest. Something that allows my mind to continue to learn. Something that allows my body to work hard and grow strong.
I realize all you heard from this post is a whining and complaining person who has 2 months off and nothing to do with her time. I want to let you know that I am REALLY excited for this time and it has not been totally horrible. I have read lots of books already, I didn't even keep a count; I have gotten to watch nearly 20 soccer games; I have watched a few Netflix movies that I have wanted to see; I have gone to many local baseball games; I have travelled to Hilton Head and have plans to go to Kerr Lake next week and Charleston a few weeks later; my birthday is coming up; all wonderful things to fill my summer - I just want my time to be spent being productive and being useful.
Well I hope for that to be the last of my complaining. I look forward to the remainder of my summer. Just remember in two months I will be complaining that I have to go back to school and my summertime is over!
The point of this post? I don't know but like I said - This...is my life. Make of it what you will!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Well...I made it!
As I sit here I can now reflect on my first year teaching. Let me just say that if next year is like this year, I really will feel EXTREMELY incompetent and wonder how I ever graduated college!
- About 3/4 of the year, a light bulb went off in my head and I realized that I was doing it totally wrong. (Really, did I need 6 months to tell me that? No, but that is when I stopped being stubborn and realized I had to change my ways to survive.) I went into the school year under total illusionment. Who knew that 7th graders didn't know the appropriate times to get up from their seats to sharpen pencils or throw things away? Who knew that 7th graders will ask you totally inappropriate questions about your personal life? And then, when you don't answer them, they proceed to tell you about crazy things that they do that you never ever wanted to know? Now I realize you have to tell them how to do EVERYTHING or they are confused :(
- I know the value of my teammates! Without the support and assistance from them, I don't know how this year would have looked but I do know it would have been worse! Next year we are all mixed up throughout the school so I will only have one of the people next year. The rest of them are scattered throughout and really far away. It makes me sad to know I can't just poke my head in the door next to me for some reassurance or comic relief or a friendly smile.
- Patience! I thought I had a lot of it but I realize now that it is not limitless. After about 4 kids ask me the same question, I want to rip the head off of the next one to ask. I really don't think there is anything worse than having to repeat yourself 5 and 10 times a day! One part of it is inevitable because I teach the same thing 5 times a day but usually by the 3rd or 4th class I anticipate the questions that they will ask and try to answer them within the directions instead of waiting for them to ask.
- High point!!! At the end of each semester, the computer classes are working on correspondence and the students are asked to type letters to their favorite teachers. I got 4 of those letters this year!!! When I looked at other people's piles I got a bit sad because they had more but from what I hear it is unusual for 1st year teachers to get them so then I was happy again. I think I will cherish those letters - they almost made me cry because sometimes you really don't know how the kids feel about you.
All-in-all this year was a GIANT learning experience! It was really rocky at times and I didn't know how it would all work out but I think it was a really invaluable experience. Definitely not anything that anyone can really prepare you for. Now I know better for next year! Expect more blogs throughout the summer and I promise they won't be about school (at least not all of them!).
- About 3/4 of the year, a light bulb went off in my head and I realized that I was doing it totally wrong. (Really, did I need 6 months to tell me that? No, but that is when I stopped being stubborn and realized I had to change my ways to survive.) I went into the school year under total illusionment. Who knew that 7th graders didn't know the appropriate times to get up from their seats to sharpen pencils or throw things away? Who knew that 7th graders will ask you totally inappropriate questions about your personal life? And then, when you don't answer them, they proceed to tell you about crazy things that they do that you never ever wanted to know? Now I realize you have to tell them how to do EVERYTHING or they are confused :(
- I know the value of my teammates! Without the support and assistance from them, I don't know how this year would have looked but I do know it would have been worse! Next year we are all mixed up throughout the school so I will only have one of the people next year. The rest of them are scattered throughout and really far away. It makes me sad to know I can't just poke my head in the door next to me for some reassurance or comic relief or a friendly smile.
- Patience! I thought I had a lot of it but I realize now that it is not limitless. After about 4 kids ask me the same question, I want to rip the head off of the next one to ask. I really don't think there is anything worse than having to repeat yourself 5 and 10 times a day! One part of it is inevitable because I teach the same thing 5 times a day but usually by the 3rd or 4th class I anticipate the questions that they will ask and try to answer them within the directions instead of waiting for them to ask.
- High point!!! At the end of each semester, the computer classes are working on correspondence and the students are asked to type letters to their favorite teachers. I got 4 of those letters this year!!! When I looked at other people's piles I got a bit sad because they had more but from what I hear it is unusual for 1st year teachers to get them so then I was happy again. I think I will cherish those letters - they almost made me cry because sometimes you really don't know how the kids feel about you.
All-in-all this year was a GIANT learning experience! It was really rocky at times and I didn't know how it would all work out but I think it was a really invaluable experience. Definitely not anything that anyone can really prepare you for. Now I know better for next year! Expect more blogs throughout the summer and I promise they won't be about school (at least not all of them!).
Monday, June 7, 2010
Ahhhhhhh
(That's a relaxing ahhhhh not an angry one!)
We are TOTALLY in need of an update!
This weekend was so fun! I got to go to the beach to help celebrate the wedding of a friend from college - my first wedding of the summer - I believe at least 3 more are to come. Anyway, back to the weekend...
So on Friday, after a SUPER exhausting week at school, I decided that I was going to leave RIGHT after school. To accomplish said goal, I sent my kids to their lockers a few minutes early and I shut down my computer, printer, and TV while they were doing that. I grabbed my purse and lunchbox and got them lined up in the hallway BEFORE the bell rang. Once the bell rang, we were down the hallway - they went out to the buses and I walked out the front door! This is something that NEVERS happens for me but Hey! I was going to the beach to see long lost friends - what's a girl to do? REALLY?!
So anyway - man I feel like I will get sidetracked soooo much on this one - my wonderful friend getting married had me stay at the same house as the bride's maids all weekend! This was fantastic for MANY reasons. 1) I didn't have to pay for two nights at a hotel. 2) I got to hang out with/meet some pretty great girls. 3) I was literally 20 yards from the beach. 4) Did I mention it was FREE?
The wedding was held in the NC Aquarium which was kinda cool. You had to walk through some of the exhibits to get to the ceremony and the room where the reception was held is called the Ocean Room. One wall was like being under the sea - glass wall with lots of fish (including multiple sharks) behind it. Totally different from something I would have - should I ever get married - but was really cool and definitely fit Chelsea's personality. Regretfully, I only got to spend about an hour and a half actually at the beach - but I returned home with a pretty sweet sun burn on the back of one of my knees.
This weekend definitely got me excited for the summer coming very soon!
We are TOTALLY in need of an update!
This weekend was so fun! I got to go to the beach to help celebrate the wedding of a friend from college - my first wedding of the summer - I believe at least 3 more are to come. Anyway, back to the weekend...
So on Friday, after a SUPER exhausting week at school, I decided that I was going to leave RIGHT after school. To accomplish said goal, I sent my kids to their lockers a few minutes early and I shut down my computer, printer, and TV while they were doing that. I grabbed my purse and lunchbox and got them lined up in the hallway BEFORE the bell rang. Once the bell rang, we were down the hallway - they went out to the buses and I walked out the front door! This is something that NEVERS happens for me but Hey! I was going to the beach to see long lost friends - what's a girl to do? REALLY?!
So anyway - man I feel like I will get sidetracked soooo much on this one - my wonderful friend getting married had me stay at the same house as the bride's maids all weekend! This was fantastic for MANY reasons. 1) I didn't have to pay for two nights at a hotel. 2) I got to hang out with/meet some pretty great girls. 3) I was literally 20 yards from the beach. 4) Did I mention it was FREE?
The wedding was held in the NC Aquarium which was kinda cool. You had to walk through some of the exhibits to get to the ceremony and the room where the reception was held is called the Ocean Room. One wall was like being under the sea - glass wall with lots of fish (including multiple sharks) behind it. Totally different from something I would have - should I ever get married - but was really cool and definitely fit Chelsea's personality. Regretfully, I only got to spend about an hour and a half actually at the beach - but I returned home with a pretty sweet sun burn on the back of one of my knees.
This weekend definitely got me excited for the summer coming very soon!
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