The Carefree Days of Summer

I love summer break. (I am not so big on the summer heat, though!) My days are relatively carefree compared to the school year, and I feel like I can totally re-invent my classroom for the following year. I love to change things up, and my classroom is never the same from year to year. (My students can tell you the desks are also rarely in the same place from month to month.) I guess what I love is that feeling of hopeful anticipation.

The other thing I love about summer is how unchained to a calendar I become. During the school year I am so driven my calendars: school events, instructional calendar, yearbook deadlines, time left in the class period – there is so much to accomplish. Every day I write the date on the board for the kids, and as the days pass, I feel like I am slightly enslaved to the rapid pace of the school year. It’s so nice to slow down in the summer and not worry about what day it is on the calendar – or making sure I cover a particular topic in a given amount of time.

I love having time to read a book, catch up on Twitter, play with my puppy, or just stare out the window for a while. It’s nice to be able to forget what time of day it is – and even what day of the week it is. This morning when I got up I knew it was Wednesday, but at some point during the day I convinced myself it was Thursday before finally realizing it actually is Wednesday. That only happens in the summer.

Ahh – the carefree days of summer. It’s a great time to recharge my batteries for next school year!