The Summer is Upon Us

The end of this frustrating, frantic, incessant year is finally near. For the first time in my teaching career, every student of mine passed both SoLs. Whether or not that is because I'm coming in to my own (dubious) remains to be seen.

But with the end of this year comes a summer of...time. Opportunity. A chance to ensure that I've made a difference in Syd's life as well as plan for the future - professionally and personally. And boy, do I have a laundry list of what I propose to do with my time.

The first few years I taught in the public school system, I half-heartily attempted to get a summer job. I say half-heartily because I was coaching and teaching at the end of the year - 12+ (sometimes 2 day) hour track meets, SoLs, exam approval, exams, traveling with athletes, cleaning out my classroom - yeah, I had time to look for a summer job. And all the college kids who were done in May beat me to them.

But the past two years, I've seen how actually planning out what I feel I have to do, developing a calendar, and marking what I've accomplished actually makes me realize how much I HAVE done over the summer months. And now, with a toddler at home and finally finally FINALLY feeling like I belong in academia at a high school level (doesn't mean I feel prepared, mind you...), I am relishing the idea of time off to accomplish everything I have been putting off for 6+ months. Sydney is older, now, too, which means I actually get to put him physically down for naps (nursing nightmare, and not on his part - neurotransmitters released in me made me extremely sleepy every time he nursed, which means that we both fell asleep...for hours...). I may, in fact, get more accomplished this summer than ever before!

Last year, the summer flew by, but that is, in part, because I kept track of everything I did each day and monitored what I wanted to accomplish and what I was willing to let slide. This year, my list is even longer. I hope I have the fortitude, now that I have more sleep (not much, though) and time, to get at least 3/4 of my list done. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

But one thing I really want to do is to start writing a - what is it...not really a biography, not a novel (I tend to perceive novels as fiction, though that's not accurate), a tangible documentary? of my struggles with my health, which have increased ten-fold since the hormones of having a child hit me. Not for everyone, but definitely something I feel I need to record for anyone else who may be experiencing the same thing.

Regardless, I am looking forward to spending time with my son, to learning Italian with him, and to seeing him experience the world. And I am also looking forward to cleaning, de-bulking, and organizing my home, in hopes that it will run decently in the fall, when the next slam of deadlines and obstacles hits us all.