Summertime

Well, it finally feels like summer, even though the kickoff was extremely anti-climactic in comparison this year.

Having been teaching from home since the middle of March, and feeling things wind down much quicker than normal, gliding into summer was just that: gliding.

So, officially for me, summer began the week of June 8th, but it's taken until about this past week (June 22-26th) to really feel that summer has kicked in.

This summer is the first one in several years that I haven't taken graduate classes, and with the Covid-19 pandemic still raging, I don't have a summer job this year either. So, after two weeks of no school work, no grad work, and no part-time work, I finally feel the "freedom" and openness of summer settling into my core. It is as if I hit the doldrums of the Phantom Tollbooth.

I realize in my time of stillness that I need to wake up each day with a purpose. Without one, I spend the day away, squandering opportunities for personal growth and accomplishment. I lay on the couch and waste the day, grumbling when the dogs ask to go out and counting down the moments until I have to make dinner and clean up the kitchen.

And that needs to change. I learned the hard lesson over the past few days/weeks that if I don't plan for the day and work toward completing that plan, I feel exhausted, lazy, and restless. So I'm crafting a list of goals that I can work toward daily, with hopes of by the end of the summer, I will be able to look back and see that, not only have I completed something, but I lived each day with purpose.

And that is the real challenge.

So here we go - no waiting until tomorrow; no waiting for the "right moment;" each second counts; every day matters; I want to make the most of each day.

Here's my creation for the day. A Summertime poem:

Summertime is 

sunshine and raindrops

sneak-attack puppy kisses

the smell of fresh basil and spearmint

clinging to my fingers.

It's squeaky toys 

and back-yard barks.

It's hazy days

and lazy afternoons

full of daydreams

and imagination creations.

It's playing for wins

and reading as many books as I can.

It's no schedule somedays

and crazy errand other days.

It's family game nights 

and backyard bbqs;

it's staying up way too late

and roasting marshmallows 

until they're gooey.

It's play dates with the little nuggie

and watching her grow.

It's rocking jean shorts

and saltwater curls,

flip flops

and flowy tank tops.

It's bright colors

and radiant sunshine

and hope as far 

as the eye can see.

It's days that never seem to end

and nights that last just as long.

It's the one moment 

when the world stands still

 and breathes in deep

just to smell the sunshine.

Challenge: accepted?

I've been fortunate enough to attend and present at several secondary technology conferences.

This year, I also presented, but then had the opportunity to sit in several sessions and learn from my colleagues.

I using blogging as a way to practice writing in my classroom, so I attended a session about blogging.  From the beginning of the session, I was challenged to blog - not just once in a while, but every.day.

I hummmmmed for a little bit and then thought that maybe I start with one.
I start with today.

So, I am blogging for today.

I don't know if it will continue every day, but today, I can check the box.




I'm always inspired at these conferences - always.
The problem comes when I walk away afterward and I think - "okay, how can I implement this into my classroom while also continuing to teach the curriculum?"
And despite my good intentions, I always end up hitting roadblocks and the passion and inspiration fizzle out.

So how do we do this? How do we incorporate all of these really cool technology resources that engage students, but take time to learn and implement them into my classroom, while also teaching them how to be good people (show empathy, etc)?

How does it work in this age of testing and scores and achievement and time is money, blah blah blah? How?

I don't know.


But I'm willing to find out.
Each day is a new opportunity. It starts today.

5 Days?!

So here I am - just 5 super short days before I will have students in my room for year 5 at Palmyra Area Middle School ...

... and I am FREAKING out.

Today is Wednesday (although my days are all sorts of crazy messed up right now), and I spent 10+ (voluntary) hours in my classroom both Monday and Tuesday with several items still living on my to do list. Today I spent the day in meetings and working on documents for the first day of school - completely ignoring my classroom. I anticipate tomorrow will be similar to today - leaving few precious minutes for work time in my room.

Please don't get me wrong - I LOVE this time of year - new school years bring new beginnings and new students with new personalities and interests. 

I remember when I was younger someone telling me that if I thought life was flying by then, just wait a few years and it would be even faster. Whelp, whoever that was certainly had their facts straight because I cannot tell you another summer that flew by as quickly as this one did. I am amazed to know that in five (yes, count them, FIVE) days I will be welcoming brand new classes of 7th graders into my language arts classroom.

The feeling is wonderful and nauseating all at the same time. I don't know if I want to laugh or puke, but either way, here we go.

Life has a funny way of giving you a gushing waterfall or a mirage in the desert - never just a steady babbling stream in the forest. The end of the summer has been a whirlwind of emotions with new friends, new adventures, new responsibilities and new classrooms - all crammed into the last 2 weeks before school starts. It is an interesting case to be sure. 

I am sure that looking back many years from now, I will have had several more weeks even crazier than these past few, but right now, in the moment, I can't imagine life getting any fuller or busier than it is right at this moment. 

As I sit here and write, with my comforting Star Wars blu-ray playing in the background (complete with the gorgeous Han Solo alive and well in his younger years), I finally find myself breathing normally and taking a second for myself. These past 3 days have felt like both an eternity as well as just a few fleeting moments, but all the same, they are here and gone and never coming back.

So here is to making the most of these last 5 days - getting the rest of my classroom organized and prepared for its coming inhabitants, spending time with my dear precious family, and adventuring with new friends - these days will never be here again, and as someone just recently told me, it's best to make the most out of life. Grab life by the horns and do all you can to hang on for the ride. 

Summer's eve and new beginnings

For years, I have spent the eve of summer in one place that is extremely special to my heart. It took me all 27 years to realize this tradition; as I lay here resting on this last day in my retreat - it finally dawned on me.

Most years, this last little trip before preparing for school coincided with the family reunion - a gathering of my grandmother's extended family to celebrate and reminisce together. Recently, attending the reunion has been hit or miss with busy schedules and changing dates, but I seem to always find a moment to escape here for a bit before the craziness of back to school begins.

My grandparents' have lived in the same house for my entire life - settled on who knows how many acres of land that makes up the church property. Wildlife unseen beyond mountain trails or bird books find its way to the back yard for spectacular shows of color and sound. Fruit trees on green grass and a perimeter of brush make up the landscape as we sit and swing on the back porch.

As the swing creaks back and forth, I hear the minutes of summer clicking down in their rhythmic daze. While the morning and afternoon of summer seem to lazily stroll by, the evening pace quickens - if only slightly at first. Each minute becomes slightly shorter, each day concludes fractionally quicker and the sun starts setting.

Despite the desire to relax and enjoy the last days, I feel my heart begin to quicken with the minute hand - my knee bouncing to the shortened rhythm of the day. While I relax, thoughts of schedules and lists begin creeping into my conscious thought, but the landscape provides a happy melding.

It's never really back to school until I've spent, even just one day out here, relaxing, taking in the sights of my childhood, adolescence, and now adulthood. It's the one location in my life that has remained standard. Moving houses, schools, changing churches, friends, whatever the difference may be, this place has always been my summer get away home. It has granted me the opportunity to transition in peace - not forcefully or all at once, but slowly, like the summer breeze.

Now as I lay here reflecting on all of the past summers' eves I have spent enjoying these last few lazy days, I look joyfully ahead to the new school year. Most people think years run January to December, but any teacher will tell you that they really run August to July. So, with the flip of the calendar, a new year is just beginning. Who knows what marvelous adventures await with this new beginning.

Day 4 - a little different

Instead of returning to our construction projects, today we vistited a local public school.

We spent time with each grade from 8:30am until after 4pm. Some of the time we spent playing with the kids during their recess time. The majority of the time was spent during a special program time. We had about forty minutes with each group of students - all of which were mixed age groups. With the younger students we spent time playing soccer, jump rope, bubbles, and face painting. With the older students we practiced English and Spanish in small groups. Then with both age groups we have a very short Bible lesson. We then finished our time by giving them a few pieces of candy.

We all seemed to have a great time playing with the kids today. Because I'm tired I know I'm not going to do justice to the experience but perhaps I'll write more about it later.

One event that I do want to highlight was getting to go into the classrooms of the school. As someone who has always been fascinated with education in different countries, it was great being able to walk in and see what not just the school building but also the classrooms look like. I loved our stroll through the open air hallways and our brief moments inside the classes. It was an experience I'll not soon forget.

This evening we ended our day sharing stories of our closest moments with God. It was a moving time getting to hear all that God has done in each of our lives. We grew together as a group tonight with an awesome thunderstorm storm as a soundtrack.

Day 3 - and God said "Let it Rain"

Today was a unique day with lots of wonderful experiences. 

We started the day back at the Pastor's house continuing our contruction. Five of us worked on the septic tank cisterns. After digging the five by five by five hole yesterday and putting the concrete  cisterns in place, today we had to dig out the dirt from the inside, fill in the dirt on the outside and mix cement for the bottom. It took a lot of effort but we got it done! One of our team members even hung upside down in the cisterns to smooth the cement! 

While that was going on the rest of the team began working on a sidewalk project for the church. After we finished with the cisterns we headed over to help them out as well. I got to be part of the concrete laying team. Three of us were in charge of smoothing out the concrete when it was poured. We only got about a third of the way down the path before lunch. 

During lunch the sprinkling rain turned into a complete downpour. We stretched out our meal as long as we could to see if the rain would taper off but it didn't. We ended up calling the day early. 

While we waited for the bus to come back and pick us up a few of us started kicking the soccer ball around. Now I don't typically like to play soccer but I think this was the most fun I had kicking a ball around in a long time. I laughed as my teammates kicked, tapped, and chased after the ball all while raindrops pelted my head. 

The rain was refreshing - to my body, to my soul, to my spirit. I love summer rain storms and that's exactly what we got today. During lunch I was looking for a reason to go out into the rain and was thrilled when I finally got the chance. At one point I just stopped in the middle of the field, stretched out my arms and turned my head up to the sky and just took it all in. The rain was like peace washing over me. I came back to the hotel feeling refreshed. 

After showers, a few of the girls and I spent some time just chatting. Andrea and I have known each other for years but I've only known Allyson and Angelica since I started working at 3J's two summers ago. It was wonderful to sit and talk to these girls - to get to know them and to laugh with them. We spent probably two hours just resting and chatting. My heart was full. 

Then I got my machete. 

I wanted an authentic machete to take back to the states so I bought one at the hardware store. t the hotel there are mango trees and we went on an adventure to get some mangos - with the machete in hand. I am happy to report that we got three mangos (which weren't ripe), all of our fingers and toes are still intact, and we had a great many laughs while doing it. 

We ended our day with a meeting to prepare for tomorrow's venture into a school. I'm looking forward to seeing this part of the Costa Rican culture. 

Day 2 - Hard Work and a Lesson

So day two brought along lots of sunshine ... and lots of bugs.
After breakfast we began working on a construction project for the Pastor's house. We dug out a two by twelve-ish feet trough to about two feet deep and then another hole that was five feet by five feet and probably about five feet dep as well. Additionally we mixed up concrete to stabilize some poles for the roof.
I have never seen a group of people work as hard as we did today. Everyone was sweating and working their tails off in the heat and the humidity.

And everyone had smiles on their faces.

I had the opportunity to practice more of my Spanish and to learn more words and remember others. I've really enjoyed refreshing my Spanish. It's been awesome to be able to talk to the pastor's wife. Between her broken English and my broken Spanish we manage to communicate. And it's all without the use of google translate!

We had the chance to walk into town this evening for dinner. I always enjoy getting to see the local community. It was fun walking around and seeing all of the signs for stores and advertisements.
As always the food today was incredible. I seriously want the recipe for the rice and beans we eat each morning.

At our team meeting this evening, Daniel asked us how we've seen God yesterday or today. He reminded us of the story of Moses and God after the Ten Commandments. God told the Israelites that he would send angels with them to the promise land but that he wouldn't go with them. Moses replied to God that if his presence wasn't with them then he didn't want to go.
This story reminded me of a song I sang at a YWAM worship service. The chorus basically reiterates that thought. "If your presence goes I don't want to stay. If your presence stays I don't want to go."
Daniel encouraged us to look for God during this trip - each day. He will show up!