Today is August 1, so it seems strange to talk about a new school year already, but we’ve been back for a couple of weeks now. My district has changed to a new calendar, and honestly I’m not mad about it. Yes, we teachers headed back to school on July 11 (that sounds obscene), and kids followed soon after, but really, it hasn’t been bad. Granted my perspective has changed, but I’m looking forward to the two week breaks we’ll get in the fall, winter, and spring. I’ve been telling myself that thanks to the new schedule, I will have plenty of time for my globe-trotting adventures. Truthfully though, I don’t have any travel plans in mind, aside from a trip to my hometown to visit family and friends.
So, why has my perspective shifted? Well, I’ve taken a new job. I’m at the same school, but I’m no longer a regular classroom teacher. Now I’m a teacher of gifted students, which means I see kids from kindergarten to fifth grade throughout the week. Today I spent my day with second and fifth grade students, tomorrow kindergarten and fourth are on the docket.
I empathize with the classroom teachers. We’re in the midst of the most brutal stretch of hot weather that I’ve experience in the three decades I’ve lived here, so there’s no outdoor recess once the school day begins. Thankfully kids can play outside for a few minutes before the morning bell, before the day becomes unbearably hot, but that’s the only time outdoors they have. There’s no messing around with the heat advisory message sent out by the district each morning. The heat is dangerous, so the kiddos stay inside. Indoor recess is hard, especially here where we have mild winters and kids are outside almost every day. Every day, except in the summer.
But you know what? I don’t have to worry about it. I don’t have a classroom full of kids who need to burn off some energy. I have small groups throughout the day, and the work we do is interesting and engaging, so kids stay focused. I’m really enjoying the change. It’s a lot of work, adjusting to an entirely new set of demands, but I’m up for it. I’m finding that I especially like working with my first grade students, who terrified me before I actually spent some time with them. And of course my fifth graders. These are the kids who I taught last year in my reading class (and some in my homeroom). I adore these kids. They’re kind, funny, hardworking, and curious.
So there you have it, a brief glimpse into my new role, and my new attitude. Teaching gifted kids is fun. I’m so glad I have the privilege to spend my days with them, and to learn from them at least as much as they learn from me.
So many times I’ve wanted to sit down and write a quick blog post, but not done it. Either something else grabs my attention, or I think I don’t have enough time to do it correctly, or the idea of WordPress giving me more errors about not having permission to post keeps me from writing. That last one is truly irritating, as I haven’t had much help in getting this recurring problem resolved, but that’s not your issue, dear reader, it is mine and I’ve been avoiding it, because frankly, it’s no fun to deal with tech issues. At least not for me. I know there are people who love it, and make a career out of it, but for me? No fun.
The month of May seemed to fly by, maybe because our school year was extended, so I worked until the last week of the month. I know, it still sounds very early to those teachers who are still teaching, but we start really early, so there’s that. It took me a while to get used to it, being from New York originally, where kids go back to school after Labor Day, like nature intended. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that there is no time off in August. None. On the flip side, though, here I sit in June, happily on summer break.
I’m not being a slacker, though. Far from it. I’m in the home stretch of completing one of the 4 components to become a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). I finished one part last year, just before the testing center shut down, and I’ve got two more parts to do next year, which I postponed due to the pandemic. The board’s term for it is deferred. I like the sound of that much better. Of course just completing the components isn’t all it takes. No, they have to be scored, and then the scores go into a formula that considers all four parts to see whether you have earned the certification or not. The good news is that you can redo parts that fell short. The bad news is, it’s a ton of work. I compare it to earning another university degree. Everyone hopes to score well the first time, of course, so there’s a ton of scrutiny and revision, revision, revision. I really am almost ready to submit this part, which is good, because the deadline is looming.
In other positive news, I’ve been using my pool every day since school let out. I got in for the first time this season after school on the last day (May 27). It was a little chilly at first, but not awful. I’ve been in and exercising every day since then. I’m kind of impressed with myself. I challenged myself to see how many days in a row I could do it, which is silly, since I love being in the pool. Still, some seasons I use it a lot, and some seasons I don’t use it much at all. I find that if I wait until late afternoon the water is warmer from soaking up the heat all day, and the pool is in the shade, so it’s easier on my eyes and skin. I jog in the water for about 30 minutes, and I use that time to just enjoy my surroundings. Yesterday there were incredible cloud formations, and every afternoon I’m joined by doves, sparrows, finches, dragonflies, and the occasional hummingbird. Wasps like to stop by for drinks too, but I try to steer clear of them. I also have my beautiful dog in the yard with me, who enjoys laying in a shady spot on the lawn and sniffing the air while I exercise. Frequently the neighbors put something on the grill for dinner, and it smells delicious.
I’ve also gotten some visits from my son. He’s working at a new job, and it’s not too far from my house. He has strange hours, so sometimes he stops over in the afternoon on his way to work. It makes my momma heart happy to see him, especially after spending so much time apart due to the pandemic. I mean, yes, we did drive cross country and back together, and that was great, but I still don’t see enough of him. I mean does any mom? I suppose if your kid lives with you, but even then they have their own lives and things to do. I’m just happy he makes time for me, and not just on Mother’s Day.
The Kiss
Speaking of Mother’s Day… brunch was out this year. In fact we never go on Mother’s Day because it’s always too busy. So what my kid did instead was spend the day with me before he had to go to work. He brought over a puzzle of Gustav Klimt’s painting The Kiss and we worked on it. 1000 pieces. All brown and gold. Well, almost all brown and gold. Oh, and every piece has basically the same shape. Oh. My. Gawd. This was the hardest puzzle either of us had ever attempted. It took several sessions working on it together, and a few hours of me working on it alone, for it all to come together. In the end, though, it did. After we took it apart, I did a quick 500 piece puzzle with a pretty simple design as a “palate cleanser” to take the taste of that monstrous puzzle out of my mind.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an online book study guide I have to download, then some more national board work to do. This is what I do every summer: independent professional development, pleasure reading, puzzles, and pool time. Oh, and I finally saw Disney’s Moana. What was I waiting for?? I will definitely be watching that one again soon. The songs keep going through my head, which is remarkable because with all the k pop girl groups that currently reside there, I didn’t think there would be room for more music. Yes, k pop. Aespa, Itzy, Everglow, Momoland, Blackpink… they all have sections of my brain at their disposal. I’m on the next level…yeah.
I was supposed to on vacation this week. Well, maybe I should say “vacation.” It would have involved a quarantine for the entire duration of my trip, which didn’t seem terribly productive or fun. Or safe. I also didn’t want to go to the airport and get on a plane. I didn’t even want to ride to the airport. And what about my luggage? Who was handling it? What if they sneezed on it and got me sick? Paranoid? Maybe, but I just don’t want to take any chances.
I’ve tried to avoid talking about this pandemic thing, because I know it’s polarizing. There are those that believe in science, and those that believe in conspiracies. Maybe there’s something in the middle, but I don’t know what that would be. In case you weren’t sure, I’m firmly in the science camp.
I wear my masks when I leave my property, even if it’s just to walk to the mailbox around the corner. I’m beginning to assemble a nice little wardrobe of masks. The other day I added a fabulous Ruth Bader Ginsburg mask to my collection, thanks to my crafty and generous friend. Now that was a good mail day.
I’m not going anywhere this summer. Not on vacation, not to the mall, not to restaurants, not anywhere. Wait, I take that back. I did make one quick trip to Target last week. It was a coordinated strike, with an action plan in place to get in, get the goods, and get out. Every person in the store was wearing a mask, which frankly surprised me, given where I live. My nerves were on edge the entire time I was in the store.
You see, I’m one of those “high risk” people when it comes to this disease. From the point of view of the disease, I’m an easy target. From the point of view of health care providers, who are currently stressed to the max from too many sick people and not enough resources, I’m not a great bet. I get it, which is why it’s up to me to make sure I stay well. So no, no trip for me.
Since I’ve been home, I’ve been gobbling up professional development opportunities like crazy. I’ve spent hours and hours learning new approaches to teaching, and I’ve earned a few college credits along the way. I’ve been home since March, and this is a way for me to feel productive. Yes, I enjoy my hobbies, but I also love my profession, and I want to be prepared to move forward when the time comes.
The discussion around school reopening has been one that I’ve been following closely. As of a few days ago, the governor of our state pushed back school opening to August 17. We generally start the first week in August. Now what will actually happen on August 17 is still unknown. The last I heard, our district will open providing 3 choices for families: all in person instruction, all online instruction, or a hybrid model that places kids in school for 3 hours each day. I know, I don’t really get the logic of that last one either. As we approach August 17, there may be a change to that plan. Several districts in our state have already come out and said they are only offering online instruction the first quarter. Personally, I think that’s wise from both a public health standpoint, and a consistency standpoint for students.
Let’s face it, there’s no good solution. No matter what happens, education has been impacted in a huge way, and there’s no easy fix.
I want to teach kids. I want to be in school. I also want all of us to stay healthy. I want this horrible pandemic to go away. But as my father used to tell me, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Wishing it won’t make it so. I, for one, will stay home as long as I can to help stop the spread of this disease.
BulgingButtons 