Wednesday, July 04, 2007

The First, Lazy Week of Summer

Happy Forth of July…and a week since I gave up my classroom keys and once again became an education civilian. I’m sure you’re wondering what amazing teaching techniques I’ve been studying during this first week of reprieve…and sadly I must say none.

I’ve slept…a lot. My honey thinks I have mono, and not-so-secretly hates that I get to sleep in while he heads to work.

Transformers movie. Who doesn’t love it when giant robot cars fight? Plus I figure it’s something I talk to my students about next September.

I raided NYC library and horded up on guilty pleasure reading. For 10 months I’ve read manily education-based books for my grad classes…but with some time on my hands I can read for pleasure on top of my grad work. If I had to say what I missed most during my first year of teaching…it would be freedom to get lost in a book.

To get out of the house I grabbed an audiobook version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and started walking ‘round Brooklyn.

Junk-food TV. All the best crap-TV shows come out during the summer, and I love not being too tired at the end of the day to enjoy their absurdity.

I’ve called/written/emailed those friends and family members I put on the backburner while my classroom was coming down around me. I needed to take that moment to reconnect.

I signed up for the Life Space Crisis Intervention professional development courses. It will impress my principal, and give me a neato certificate I can add to my resume. Not to mention I can learn some good classroom behavior tools.

Took some time to really appreciate my cat. He’s freakin’ awesome, and doesn’t mind when I call him “Teacher’s Pet.” What? Don’t judge me.

Played video games. Enjoyed those little fun things I used to do before panic attacks were a weekly occurrence.

I’ll start planning next year’s onslaught in a few weeks. It didn’t seem possible…but this summer seems so sweet and pure and precious. Thinking back on my childhood I remembered how much I loved Summer as a kid, but now it’s that same feeling as a teacher: Freedom and infinite possibilities.
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