My last day of summer...

It's Friday morning, August 7, around 9:00 a.m. The quiet of the house is almost startling. The sun's light floods my bedroom and tells me to get going. But, today is my last official day of being a stay-at-home mom (I can only claim that title for ten weeks a year), and I don't really want to disrupt the moment.

I am a teacher, one of my favorite things to say about myself. The older I get, the faster these summer days pass by. This will be my nineteenth year to teach. Surprisingly to some, every year about this time, I'm actually ready to get back to my little nook down at the end of the long English hallway (room 309) - my home away from home for the next nine months.

The floors have been cleaned and polished, the desks wiped down with Clorox wipes, and the white boards are actually white. Fresh markers call my name.

No piles of papers yet to file, no dust coating the tops of the cabinets or book shelves, and no balls of paper hiding under tables.

Stocked and ready to roll - pencils, blue pens, black pens, and of course red pens, rest neatly in decorative holders. My desk drawer is exploding with sticky notes of all shapes and colors.

The welcome sign hangs on the door with anticipation of the arrival of terrific kids entrusted to me for the coming year. The kids - my students - truly are the best part of the job. My last year's students were some of the greatest all-around students I've taught. You can read a about them here. I'm sure this year's crew will be just as wonderful. I'll be sharing more about my classroom as the year moves along :-) So, off to work I go!

We are down to only one child at home with us, and he is starting high school this year. I hope those of you with school age kids have a wonderful school year. Remember, "the days are long but the years are short". No truer statement has ever been made... Cherish these hectic, activity-filled days.

Kathryn