I was so excited this morning, because it was my first real day of summer vacation. Yes, I had the long weekend, but I spent one of those days miserable (darn stomach bug) and didn’t really do much the rest of the weekend (except see Pitch Perfect 2 for the second time, omg, I love that movie). Then yesterday I spent the day with my wonderful team, planning for instruction. Not exactly summer vacation mode.
Today, though, was different. Today the day was mine. Yes, there were some things I wanted to do, but I didn’t have anywhere I had to be or anything I had to do. What a wonderful feeling.
Naturally I was up early, because I’m in the habit. That will change soon, though, as I stay up later and later.
I was sorting through the wonderful end of year gifts from my students, and decided that I would download the Starbucks app to consolidate my gift cards. I congratulated myself for figuring out how to do it, then got to thinking about how nice it was to have a bank of free Starbucks treats waiting for me.
I know, this has been an ongoing issue for me. I go cold turkey, then I go back. I’ve done it several times now. Why? Empty calories and lots of money, but oh so yummy.
How much could it add up to? Well, I recently went through my bank statement to figure that out. In a thirty day period I spent exactly $123.45 at Starbucks. That works out to nearly $1500. a year. We could take a vacation for that!
I’m back to thinking that I need to stay away from Starbucks, but my phone is always with me, so if I do find myself there, at least I have credit, thanks to my wonderful students and their parents.
At 12:45 this afternoon another school year will officially close. The student work has been sent home, the desks have been washed, the report cards have been printed and stuffed in envelopes. All that’s left to do today is reflect on the year, participate in the annual 5th graders v. teacher’s kickball game, and watch a movie. It should be a breeze.
In my own childhood, the last day of school was an exciting day. I don’t remember too many particulars, but there may have been popsicles involved. I loved school as a kid, but I loved summer vacation too. The long lazy days, the weeks of summer camp, and the feeling of freedom were priceless. What kid wouldn’t love summer vacation?
Sadly, there are kids who don’t. These are the kids who aren’t going to summer camp. Their families aren’t going on vacation, and the feeling of freedom is more like a feeling of abandonment. These kids rely on school for structure, consistency, and in some cases, two meals a day. They are the ones that are quiet as the others buzz about their upcoming trips to San Diego or Wisconsin or Disneyland. Their grandparents won’t be coming to visit, they won’t be going camping, and nobody is going to sign them up for the library’s summer reading program. No swimming lessons, no soccer teams, no arts and crafts. These kids will watch a lot of tv and become bored quickly.
The adults in their lives have limited resources. In many families there are shortages. There are shortages of money, of time, and of energy. There are kids in households run by adults who are ill equipped to care for them. Adults with substance abuse problems, mental illnesses, and insane work schedules. There are kids in group homes and kids living with grandparents and even great grandparents who simply don’t have the energy for them. I’m not saying these kids are unloved, most of them are, but their homes are often chaotic and unpredictable. There may be drug or alcohol abuse in the home, there may be violence. Kids see and hear more than we realize, and it affects them.
Most of my students are excited about summer vacation, and I’m glad. They have worked hard all year and they deserve some down time to just be kids with no pressure to achieve and perform. My wish for the summer is that all kids have fun and stimulating experiences with people who are genuinely concerned about their well being and are equipped to care for them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to find my sneakers, I have a kickball game to play.
I don’t have a cute alliteration for this month as it relates to selling my house. I guess “Just Buy It, Already!” is the closest I’ve got. People keep coming to look, but nobody wants to buy. Oh, someone did, but they cancelled their contract. Ugh. I know it’s a great house. I know it will sell eventually. Maybe even today.
On to other things for the month of June. Tomorrow I start teaching a writing workshop for students entering grades 4 to 8. I have three boys and six girls. I have been preparing lessons for them, hunting down YouTube videos of spoken word poets, gathering picture books to use as mentor texts, and generally stressing about how the whole thing will come together. Yesterday my family took a ride out to the site and we walked the campus, mapping out the relationships between the drop off site, the bathrooms, and the classroom. This is all important information. I’m really excited to start working with these young writers. I know we’re going to learn a lot from each other.
In other news, I’ve finally started exercising again! My pool has finally warmed up and with daily temperatures over 100 degrees I’m glad to get in it and get moving. Since I started Weight Watchers a month ago I’ve lost 15 pounds. This addition of exercise can only help that loss along. I’ve done Weight Watchers before, but this time they have something called “Smart Start” where you don’t start tracking and counting points right away. You start by eating certain foods that they refer to as power foods. It’s all common sense really. Eat fruits, vegetables, lean protein, non-fat dairy, whole grains, etc. It’s not that difficult, and there’s room for “indulgences,” the foods and beverages that make life worth living. This is what I’ve been doing, and it’s working for me, so I’m not switching over the all the crazy point counting as long as it keeps working.
I’m not down on the point counting, but for me it makes me focus way more on food and eating than I normally would. I tend to spend a lot of time thinking about how many points this or that food is, and how many points will I have left for the day after I eat something, and will I end up hungry? This way works better for me. At least so far.
The move into June has also brought into sharp focus the many items on the 47 for 47 challenge that I have yet to accomplish. The year is up on July 3, so I have just over a month to get in gear and see if I can knock a few more items off the list. I know it’s too late for some of them, but maybe I could sneak in a Zumba class in the next month? I have to revisit that list and see what I can get done.
What are your goals for June? In a nutshell mine are 1. Sell this house 2. Run a successful Writing Camp 3. Continue to eat well 4. Continue to exercise 5. Write! 6. Revisit my 47 for 47 Challenge and complete a few more items.
In the meantime, please enjoy Sarah Kay, a remarkable Spoken Word poet. The video is about 18 minutes, as it’s a Ted Talk, but the poem is just the first three and a half minutes. I believe it is worth your time.
I was so excited this morning, because it was my first real day of summer vacation. Yes, I had the long weekend, but I spent one of those days miserable (darn stomach bug) and didn’t really do much the rest of the weekend (except see Pitch Perfect 2 for the second time, omg, I love that movie). Then yesterday I spent the day with my wonderful team, planning for instruction. Not exactly summer vacation mode.
BulgingButtons 