There are many
reasons why I love summer…I get to sleep in later than normal, I am able to spend more quality time with my children,
and I don’t have to stress about schedules, outfits, or homework. Usually around this time, near the end of
July, is when I start gearing up for “back to school” mode. I won’t lie – some years the end of summer
has been a hard pill to swallow. (The years
after each of my babies were born were definitely the toughest!)
This summer
has been a little different for me because my school mode has never turned
off. I have literally spent every day either
attending conferences, working on my WBT internship, brainstorming like crazy
with my two teaching besties, or enlarging my circle of teacher friends
through social media. (By the way, I am blown away by all the amazing things
social media has to offer – I am now completely addicted to Periscope, as well
as Google Hangouts…what an amazing way to connect with teachers all over the
country!)
This non-stop
action may sound crazy to you, but this has truly been the best summer
ever! I have never been more excited for
a school year to start! I feel more
energized about teaching than I have in a long time. I can’t wait to try out all the new strategies
that I have learned with my upcoming class that I will welcome in 4 weeks. (My only wish is that I could have all my
previous students join in the fun too!)
One of my
favorite quotes is, “There are no shortcuts to excellence.” I have taken this quote to heart this summer
as I continue to learn and grow in my teaching career. I want to be excellent at being ME. I want to be the best that I can be, in my
own little classroom in Edmond, OK. My
excellence won’t look the same as the next teacher’s excellence, and that’s
ok. Are there going to be days that I
feel my best is not good enough in the eyes of others? Absolutely…for me, that’s every single day of
my life. My goal is to do what I can do
to feel proud of myself when I walk into my classroom each day. I am so grateful for not only my teaching
besties (huge shout-out to Melissa and Kristen!), but also to all the new
teachers that I have had the opportunity to connect with this summer. They are all such amazing educators and I
look to them for inspiration as I strive towards “my version” of excellence.
P.S. Don’t
worry – I’ve still been able to sleep in (thanks to staying up til 2 am working
on school stuff), take my children to all our favorite summer spots (I won’t recommend
ice skating though), and we’ve definitely NOT followed any type of schedule AT
ALL!!! (And that has truly been excellent!)
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