Mindless Meanderings of Schroedawg

There are many things I enjoy about being a teacher. One of those is summer. People think that we don't do anything during the summer, but my most valuable time is during the summer. I get to plan out my curriculum week by week, I get to decide the direction I want to take with my new, incoming students, and I get to read, prep, and attend professional development opportunities. Not to mention, graduate school and prep for National Boards...it's a lot! On the flip side, if you think our jobs end exactly in nine months time, then you are rudely mistaken. Granted, the time off is a blessing in disguise. I get to reboot and recharge, and the best part is I get to spend all that time I lost between the time school began until now, with my daughter. And to me, that is priceless. And if you don't have your own kids, then you have no idea what a full time job it is to raise them. Not saying that your life is not packed and crazy, but on top of a full time job and raising a child...

 Last, but not least---playing in the evening light as we walked down the road... One of our roses in bloom  And a tuckered out little boo after bath...

We are not out of school until next Friday. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders get to be part of expeditionary learning experiences and the one I am involved with is Maritime Academy. This is an 8 day curriculum event, where the students take block courses of language arts, social studies, science, math, and art, as well as a mix of boating (longboats), boat building, maritime trade tours, and also experience the simulator of driving a real boat. Can I just say---wow! I am pretty dang lucky to have gotten the position I did. I A) love my 7th graders and 8th graders; B) have been BLESSED with such beautiful weather all week, I feel NO GUILT for being able to be outside and experience all that I have; and C) What an AWESOME way to end the year. If you have never been to Port Townsend, it is a unique, small town on the Peninsula. On a beautiful a clear day, as the past 4 days have been, you can see Mt. Baker (Canada), the Cascades, the Olympics, and Mt. Rainier. Every day this week has...