Tuesday, August 14, 2007

And it was summertime...sweet summertime

Today is the official last day of summer vacation for me. Tomorrow I go to another new teacher orientation, this one at the high school, for half a day. Then the two days of inservice and the kids come on Monday.

I shouldn't complain. I'm not. I've been off since that last Friday in May. That's a good long time. Flew from Alaska, spent some time in Seattle, moved the family to Illinois. Good productive summer.

That's one of the reasons I like being a teacher. It's true--the summers! That's because it is such a nice refresher and makes me start each year with new eyes and new heart and hitting the ground running. If, for instance, school started up again right in June, I think we teachers would get really exhausted. It's true that we get summers off but we make up for it from September to May. It's a great gig, really, almost the opposite of the construction worker who works hard extra hours all summer and then gets the winters off. When I worked in mortgages, there was no let up--July was just another month at work. With teaching, there is a sense of accomplishment each year. Like last year, watching my seniors go down the graduation aisle, knowing that I influenced them, at least a little bit. When Marjorie said she might study English in college because of my class, even if she doesn't study it, her just saying it made me feel worthwhile.

So here's to summer. My batteries are recharged and I am rarin' to go. And come June, when my batteries are low again, I'll get another recharge.

This is the life.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Here's to a good year! Those students are lucky to have you.

Erica