Tomorrow

Well, here I am.  On the verge.  Of preparing for the next school year.  I know, I know.  I. JUST. ENDED. A. SCHOOL. YEAR! AND summer training!  BUT!  I know that if I don't begin, August (and the first day of the new school year) will be here before I know it.  SO...I've decided to do a bit at a time so I can still maximize my summer and enjoy my children (who are outside with the neighborhood children running themselves silly in an impromptu game of whiffle ball in our backyard).  I'm watching through the window and listening to the cheers.  Major Leagues, here they come! 

I really do try not to work while they are with me.  I try to do stuff before they get up or after they go to bed or when they are playing with their friends.  It doesn't always happen, especially when I'm lesson planning or researching on the computer for something, but I TRY.  That way, my time with them is MY time with them.  Like tomorrow.  I know I said I'll start school stuff, but I'm going to take some time and take them to Infinito's Pizza for lunch with their friend (My kids LOVE it there!).  Then we're going for Rita's Water Ice.  I can do school stuff while they sleep.  Although, I can say, sometimes they actually want to help with what I'm doing, especially if they see the craft bin appear.  I don't mind, but I don't want anyone thinking I'm forcing child labor here. 

Anyhow, tomorrow's the day.  The day that begins my slow descent back into school-planning mode.  Two months before the first day (August 30 for students; teachers are in a few days prior).  I can say, however, that I have a head start.  By the end of the school year, I have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done for the next school year. (I keep a running list on a tablet in my desk, so by the end of the year, my "To-Do" is already there.) I already have my room planned out.  I already know what I need to replace or get to enrich my classroom.  I'm not changing schools or grades next year, so I already know the curriculum. 

I do need to add some things in because our district went to a Learning Focused Schools model and we've been phasing in the subject models, one a year.  If you're not familiar with LFS, it's a compilation of Best Practices that uses Essential Questions (learning objectives), graphic organizers, vocabulary cards, student collaboration, summarization, etc.,  in every lesson for student enrichment and teaching.  My school has phased in the Language Arts and Math models.  This year we are supposed to add in the models for Science and Social Studies, which means I need to work on my unit overviews and vocabulary for those subjects.  Now it's just a matter of getting it all and organizing for the fall.

Which brings me back to tomorrow.  That's when it's all supposed to begin.  Bit by bit.  We'll see how long it takes me.

The End of Another Year

Well, I've come to the end of another school year. 180 student days gone. 184 professional days passed. The beginning of summer vacation. Truth is, "summer vacation" to a teacher is somewhat of an oxymoron. Sure, teachers aren't in school teaching the students (unless they are teaching summer school or tutoring, like me), but there are loads of school-related things that continue to happen. Some take courses to advance their careers, others begin planning for the next year, while still others serve on committees to benefit the students of their district.

For me, I continue in the vein of summer professional developments and planning for the next school year. My husband, in an attempt to keep me from getting too frazzled and stressed planning for the next school year over the summer, has "banned" me from doing anything school related until July 1. (The date used to be August 1, but since school supplies and everything come out earlier and earlier, we moved the date up. I don't work in a district with stipends or unlimited amounts of resources, so I have to catch the sales for school supplies--for my kids and myself--when they come along.) Sounds weird, I know. But if you are like me, and want to do the absolute best for your students, you are constantly trying to keep ahead of the game, trying to apply what you've learned in your summer courses, planning your room layout, thinking of reorganizing somehow to make things flow better. I used to get so wrapped up in school over the summer that I didn't really enjoy my summers. So to counteract that, my husband and I came to an agreement, and it's been working for us.

Now this isn't to say that I haven't been thinking about planning and things I need to make or purchase or do to get ready for next year, but I am not acting on those ideas--yet. I'm choosing to take the time, like I do every summer, to really enjoy my children. (Not like I don't enjoy them during the school year, but in summer, my attention is undivided all day long.) This week, we're doing Vacation Bible School at our church. Saturday we are taking my daughter to explore one of the local cave attractions for her birthday day trip. Also on the agenda for the summer are many more day trips, visits with friends and family, cooking marathons with fresh finds from the farmer's market, and catching up on "grown-up" reading. (When you teach elementary children, a lot of your reading is previewing children's books and lesson plan materials. Summer is a time devour all the books on your personal reading list!)

In the past three days I've read two books. Looks like the four books I checked out for the next two weeks will be finished in the next few days. When I say devour a book, I mean it! So looking forward to many more days of literary bliss.