The Middle of Summer - some thoughts

It is July 22nd -- smack dab in the middle of summer.

And I am feeling grateful.

Grateful for home.

Grateful for time.

Grateful for my daughters.

Grateful for no hurry, no worry.

Grateful for reading on the couch and chatting with my girls in the kitchen.

Grateful for no school work.

Grateful for letting my mind unwind and heal from the tizzy that it is often in September through June.

Grateful for the series I am re reading for the millionth time.

Grateful for this precious summer I don't want to end.

But in about a month I'll begin to think about my classroom -- and my mind will shift. 

Shift to students who need a teacher who loves books and reading teaching them to have a passion for both.

Shift to lunch boxes and a schedule.

Shift to earlier bedtimes and an alarm to wake me instead of the sunshine.

Shift to bulletin boards and Reader's Workshop - Guided Reading - and math.

Shift to back to school dresses and backpacks lined up on the bench in the mudroom.

I'm not ready to shift. I'm so grateful for this time. This time when I glance at the clock and it tells me it's 2:00 in the afternoon - nowhere to be. Fold a little more laundry, invite the girls to play a game with me - text Scott about my dinner ideas to see what he thinks- just time.

Why anyone in the world wouldn't want to be a classroom teacher is beyond me. A career that completely ends every year for a few months. There are no emails, no correcting, no planning. Nothing. Just being.

And for that -- I am grateful.