Teachers With Class

Enjoy those 70 degree days in Duluth. Fall will come soon enough. Forget school displays; it's summertime and the living is easy. I'm twenty-one years retired but I remember how it was. Teaching was fun. Summers were wonderful!

Enjoy the summer, don't do like I did once. I remember a few years back, I decided to take a vacation to Big Bend National Park for one week. As soon as the last day of school ended we were gone. My son had a blast but I didn't have a whole lot of fun. I forgot to turn my mind off; to forget about school and have fun. I still had school thoughts and I needed to have deprogrammed before going on vacation. Needless to say, I thought a lot about the hectic last days of school in May as I hiked around Big Bend. You should start thinking about school about a week into August. Heck, I just RETIRED and still think about school, but that needs to stop....lol....it's ridiculous. And don't be like my friend the chemistry teacher that will not come to church because she can't stop thinking about the upcoming school year and what she needs to do to be ready. I better not be too critical, because I was the same way. What can I say, have some 'balance' and have fun.

LISTEN WITH CARE ! You will be teaching school until the day you pass into the Great Beyond. What I mean is, school will be the focus of your dreams forevermore, Amen! Usually it's an unruly class and completely out of control. You can't even remember the names of your students and the year is almost over. Dam-dam, not even a grade in the gradebook. Then school's out and you forgot to promote the kids. . . . . About 31 of my 34 years of teaching were fine. Maybe it's those two not-so-pleasant years that are resonsible for the nightmares. My wife is also a retired teacher but, at 76, she still misses the classroom. . . . . Enjoy the remainder of the summer; fall will arrive soon enough. . . . . Bill

It has been a busy summer. I lost my dad June 14th (91years old), but I am grateful it is summer and have been taking my mom places and enjoying her company. Also, had to get a lot of legal paper work done for the family.

However, I am working on my goal this summer, and that is getting back into running. I am hoping to be sponsored by the alternative program where I teach for the 5k runs. I have been doing everything on my own schedule, enjoying taking my dog to the beach, and working on finishing my second book. I still have a few more things to do, like getting my bike tires fixed so I can get into bike riding with some friends. Need to work on trimming my trees and tuning up my car. Freedom in the summer is great. Hope everyone is enjoying the rest of July. Ibis

Thanks Meeker for reminding me that I need some "down" time before the wheel begins to turn again! Next week I'll be in a workshop and then I'll teach teachers for 'new teacher orientation' so its really as if there's never a 'summer' of 'down' time! I too lost my Dad recently and I've learned that its hard to grieve and teach simultaneously. I'm sure that many of you already knew that. This summer I've spent time with my Mom and siblings in my 'home state' of Mississippi. Last weekend over the holiday I attended the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic and heard wonderful live Mississippi blues for 2 solid days. Last year I visited Italy and was amazed to find that the most loved American product in Italy is our blues music so I was delighted to 'go home' to the best of the best for this 'july 4th' holiday! The experience in Italy made me wonder why we try to 'push' nasty fast food on those people when what they want is our music! (Their food makes our Burgers look like prefab plastic!)

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are basking in the luxury of rest and relaxation.

I am beginning to think about returning to school but it is because I have had entirely too much down time. My husband is in school himself this summer so we have not done the traveling did in the past years. June was just fine; I needed the time to decompress after a particularly stressful year but July is another matter. I'm bored with sleeping late, taking naps, and reading, reading, reading. I'm ready to get out and about but my teacher friends are away and my non-teacher friends are still working! I haven't been totally housebound, having spent a long week-end in New Orleans. And I am preparing for a girls' trip with my daughter to Helen, GA this coming week-end. But I think, the only cure for this slump will be to go to the schoolhouse tomorrow and start arranging the furntiure!

Barbara

My summer has been spent working in the City Park...summer maintanance guy. I find it a nice change of pace from teaching (still at it, probably for another 5 years). I also enjoy the young one's in our family playing sports...I've coached 3 sports per year for 30 years, so "just watching" is a treat! (This is the first summer my two daughters are not playing softball....miss it...they both played throught college.)

We'll be back in the classroom in our District in exactly one month....guess I'll move into it slowly....

I'm retired and moved to Florida. It is always summer now. I never thought I would miss the classroom, but I do.

Let's face it, summer's never long enough! I just took the Eons longevity test and the results were that I'd live longer if I didn't work so many hours (and I was conservative in my estimate on the number of hours a week I actually work.)

I feel like my summer is just getting started. I took 16 of my students to Japan for 10 days and I am just now starting to feel rested up.

I am enjoying sleeping in, working out in the mornings, and sipping my coffee while reading the morning paper. I'm also reading a lot for pleasure, something I never have time for during the school year.

At the end of the month, I plan to visit my son in Atlanta. On the agenda so far is, visiting the new aquarium, CNN, Mall of Georgia, and attending a wine tour and tasting where he works.

And of course there's always lots of things around the house that need attention!

Have a great summer everyone and enjoy every minute of it!