Monthly Archives: August 2013

A season for everything

School started Monday and the kids, my students, arrived Thursday. It was a good week, no, correction, it was an excellent week and it was over before I really knew it.

the first day - "Who do you want to be?" assembly
the first day – “Who do you want to be?” assembly

 

All things have a beginning and an end – there is a season for all things. I was unwinding Thursday after school trying to piece together all of the papers, memos, reminders and notes I had made during the day and I was tuned into my iPhone listening to a playlist headlined by “Long Cool Woman” by the Hollies. I don’t really listen to music anymore, like I did as a kid, rather I hear the music, the beat, and using it to block out other noise. Continue reading A season for everything

First day, again

Summer is finished. It went quickly, it always does. This morning the sun rose at 6:05 and it will set this evening at 7:46. I’ll have 13 hour and 41 minutes to make the day count – during daylight, that is. That is very different from the 15 hours and 13 minutes of daylight in June 21st, the Summer Solstice. I was up early before five and I’ll probably be up long after the sun sets, thank you Edison.

Today is the first day of my school year. I’ll spend it in meetings hearing about new procedures, important dates, and reminders about how education has changed since my REAL first day in 1999. I’ll re-connect with teachers I haven’t seen since school ended in June. We’ll talk about our summers – share a laugh, and then we’ll get down to getting ready for our first day of school with kids in our classrooms. I can’t wait, that is my favorite part of teaching – the kids.

learning_edutopia

Continue reading First day, again

Summer’s fading

chair crop
a slice of what is to come

Yesterday morning I awoke early, too early, around four thirty, it was dark, the kind of darkness that is complete except for the light that spills over into our yard from our neighbor’s security light. I looked out onto the lake and it was dark almost black it was such deep blue. The stars covered by a blanket of invisible clouds completed the late night and early morning darkness.

Ivy was up before me, in fact, she was the reason I was up as early as I was, she was concerned with something in the yard, her yard, and letting me know in her own way, loudly. I let her out and lay down on the couch to read, or try to read. After she had searched the yard, I let her inside and she jumped up and nested between my legs at the foot of the couch, rested her head on my calf, and fell back to sleep. It wasn’t long before I joined her and drifting off with the book open on my chest.

That was how my Friday morning began, slowly. Continue reading Summer’s fading