November came and went with a quiet Thanksgiving. December blew through like it was rocket-fueled. Christmas parties, and pageants, cookies and decorating, cards and gifts were all a blur as the month came to a close. Photographs were taken to mark some of the events, while others were recorded only as memories. 2009 crept in quietly as I continued schoolwork and prepared to start my new job teaching ten fourth grader. Once school started, time took on a quality that I didn't know it had - and warp speed became more than a concept to me. It became reality. February brought the annual Fab February Five birthday weekend, and then it was March. Now it's Spring Break and I'm just barely coming up for air. Holy cow - what a wild ride!
I've loved all of the new components of my life - my schoolwork and my classroom, but I struggle daily to find a measure of balance and a little piece of quiet.
We operate at such a crazy pace, that I feel as though I never really PREPARE for the next thing, I just grab what I need and GO. Whether the "next thing" is dinner, a lacrosse game, a field trip or houseguests, very little thoughtful preparation is happening these days. I have lesson plans prepared, and that's just about it. I know that this first year in the classroom has demands that are incrementally larger than subsequent years will be, so I find myself hanging on to the safety bar as the roller coaster prepares to rush down the track.
Last week's fluke snow day gave me an unexpected day off - and rather than playing catch-up on all of the housework and laundry, I grabbed the camera and went out to catch the day. I'd like to have visual documentation to augment my memories.
And I'm assuming that you have summers off? That should be a light at the end of the tunnel, right? Round Top must have been a breath of air for you, it sure as heck was for me. We do end up absorbing new things into our schedules so that it's no longer a shock to our systems. That doesn't mean you get to stop smelling roses, taking photos, and sharing them! Glad to see you back, Stephanie
Posted by: Doojie | April 26, 2009 at 12:40 AM