Back to School Blues

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

Yesterday I made a serious mistake...I printed out the school calendar and updated my planner. How could I have known horror awaited me: 

Only 34 Days Until I Return to School!?

Somehow, time has flown by without me noticing. The sand in the hour glass has fallen at a rapid speed while I have been distracted by summer. 

I don't want to go

I know we all feel this way. Except for parents....I think parents secretly pray for the day they can send their kiddos back to school so that they can get back to regular schedules. I have no knowledge of this so if I am wrong please forgive me. I was homeschooled and I know my mom loved every moment with me. I was a complete joy to be around. I doubt she ever wished she could send me somewhere else. 

In light of only having 34 days left I realized that...

I still have a LONG to do list to accomplish before the 15th! How am I going to get it done when all I want to do is sleep in and eat sugar all day? Here I thought I would be itching to get back planning, but I am very comfortable in my summer coma. This summer coma, as I call it, includes lots of Fiction, movies, pj days, and yes, the occasional ice cream sandwich. So instead of focusing on my TO DO list I have made a list of things I will miss after we start back to school.

What I will miss once I welcome 100+ teenagers back into my life:

1. I will miss drinking liquids-especially water-when I want or need it.
2. I will miss sitting down when my legs are tired.
3. I will miss being able to go to the bathroom when I need to go.
4. I will miss being able to eat my lunch for as long as I want. (I finally re-learned how to eat my food slowly-chewing before swallowing.)
5. I will miss waking up at 8:30. 5:30 is going to be difficult.
6. I will miss wearing whatever I want to wear. (I don't think my principal would approve pajamas at work.) 
7. I will miss not being judged by what I am wearing. (My sister wears her pjs too and so do the majority of people at Walmart.)
8. I will miss the quiet of home.
9. I will miss looking over and seeing my sister in the room (she is my buddy).
10. I will miss the energy to stay up late....back to an 8:30 bed time routine.
11. I will miss wearing my baseball cap. Washing your hair every day is overrated. 
12. I will miss free weekends without papers to grade and lesson plans to put in.

As I think towards the first days of school I can't help but cringe because as much as I love summer vacation my students love it 100 times more. I wish there was a way to make them forget summer vacation.

I would probably have a lot of angry parents once they found out I hypnotized their kids the first week of school. Or they may give me a hug and thank me because it is a lot easier to get their kids out of bed in the morning. 

Nope, there isn't a way to stop time for passing and their isn't a way to make the kids think they weren't just on summer break, but there is a way for me to change my attitude. So instead of focusing on the list above of :what I will miss" I am going to focus on a new list of what I look forward to. You have to admit it, fellow teachers, you look forward to these things too!

What I look forward to when school begins again:

1. Redecorating/organizing my classroom.
2. Hearing our principal pump us up for the new year.
3. Seeing students in uniform rushing to their classes.
4. Meeting students who absolutely LOVE to read.
5. Meeting students who hate to read, but looking forward to the day when I hand them that one book that they will enjoy.
6. Seeing my teaching partners in the hall between classes. 
7. Seeing my students from last year. I am sure they have grown so much! They had better say hi to me!
8. Finding out if I really have grown as a teacher. Will some thing be easier for me since I have done it before?
9. 7th and 8th grade football! I have two grades to cheer for this year. (adding to TO DO list: dust off pom poms)
10. September 2nd, Labor Day, the first day off of the school year!

As the new school year draws closer I will begin to pray for my students and pray for the teachers at my school. God brought us through 2012-2013 and He will carry us through 2013-2014. As long as we are doing everything for His glory He will bless our effort. Once again I am getting excited about what He will teach me. Only He knows what goes before me and I will strive every day to place my hand in His and surrender to His leading.

I hope all of you enjoy the rest of your summer. Whatever you endeavor to do when school begins (whether you teach or not) put your hand in His and He will lead you.