Summer

It's almost here: Summer break. I haven't posted for well over two months simply because I've been swamped.

Today I go in, post my grades, clean out my room, and then "vacation" officially begins. Every year I find myself counting down to this day when summer vacation comes. I look forward to being able to take my time, relax, and not rush to do ANYTHING. Last summer my kids noticed that I was even driving slower. I want to make the most of every moment. Of course, being the task-oriented person that I am, I already have a list forming in my head of the chores to do around the house and to prepare for next September. But in the summer I am able to "attack" my task list at a much more manageable pace. No 5 AM - 11 PM non-stop work days during the summer. If something doesn't get done today -- I can work on it again tomorrow. Yes, I love summers.

And yet, as much as I've looked forward to the end of the school year, there's a melancholy that comes with "the end." I don't like to waste too much time with regrets -- frankly there's too much to do to waste time worrying about what I could have done! But as a teacher, I do try to evaluate my teaching for the year, and my personal report card tells me I didn't get as far or cover as much as I had planned last September. I wish I could have done more -- covered more materials, better preapred my students, etc. So among my chores for this summer will be to figure out HOW I can improve that.

Along with that is the reality that I have said good-bye to many people. Quite a few students and teachers are moving on next year. As a private school, we rely on enrollment to keep us going, but many of our families are not able /willing to pay increased tuition. Therefore our enrollment is decreasing and as a result, our teaching staff has been reduced. So I'm seeing families that I have known for years leave the school, and I'm seeing teachers teachers leave.
Among those who are leaving is a friend I've known in and out of school for 18 years --our families have spent enough time together that our children are like brothers and sisters. He and his family are moving out of state. I'm mourning the loss of a great teacher and of dear friends.

It usually takes me a week or so to shift my brain from the school year crush to the summer relax. We always try to plan our summer vacation so that we leave a week after school's out so that I do have the time to adjust. This year we don't get that luxury -- we leave TOMORROW. So today I will go to school and finish my "check-out" procedures, come home and pack. And the next two days as we sit in the car, I will try to "hurry up" my shift to my "slow down" mode.