Settling In {SOL 9-16-14}

This week is our third week of school.  Although, when I stop to think about it, it could be our 30th.

I am amazed at how quickly my new students learned the routines and expectations of our classroom.  They are eager and enthusiastic learners.

To the outside observer, it seems like we've been at this forever.  Walk in my room during silent reading time and it is just that...silent while students read.  They have already built up to 30 minutes of solid reading time.  When it's time to stop, they say "Awww...." and I smile to myself at their love of reading.

I should be happy that everything is going so smoothly.

And I am.

But maybe a little part of me isn't.

You see, while my students have slipped into the routines of our classroom, I have too.  Some of these are the old routines of years past.  These routines are comfortable and familiar.  But I slowly feel them pushing out anything new I have learned that I wanted to implement in my classroom.  It's as if they are saying, "Go away, new kid.  We don't need you here.  We've got a good thing going."

And all of those new ideas are trying to turn around and retreat back to safety where nothing changes and life is easy.

But this isn't about "easy."  It's about growing, and learning, and stepping outside of my comfort zone as I try new things, possibly better things.

Old habits are hard to break, but break them I will.

It's nice to be comfortable, sitting under the tree of learning that I have created over the years.  But we all know that real growth occurs up there at the end of those branches.

Time to get my ladder...

Apple Orchard, Where Have You Been? {SOL 9-9-14}

How appropriate that today's Slice of Life is about a visit to the apple orchard where you are encouraged to sample slices of apples!

There is a very quaint apple orchard near my home. I love this place so much, I would move in there if I could.

This is not your ordinary apple orchard.  Here, the apples are already picked and waiting for you in big wooden crates.  No climbing trees or fighting with bees!

This orchard features a massive variety of heirloom apples.  Bill, the orchard's owner, is probably one of the friendliest guys you'll ever meet.  He can tell you anything you want about any apple.  I love the way he labels the crates with paper plates.  His descriptions of the apples are a perfect lesson in adjectives.  Who knew an apple's taste could be "sprightly", "zippy" or "snappy"?  (The English major in me LOVES that!) 

To make the best pie, just walk around and put one apple from every bin into your bag.  Mix them up.  You won't be sorry! The pie I made on Sunday was amazing and I'm so glad....I waited all summer for it.

Celebrating New Beginnings {9-06-14}

I have many things to celebrate this week.  It has been a week of wonderful new beginnings.

I celebrate my new students.  I have 24 this year and while there is a huge range between them, they are eager to learn.

I celebrate returning to work and being with friends.  I am thankful I have a place to go every day, work with people I enjoy, and spend each day doing something I love.

I celebrate routines.  The beginning of the year is a crazy time.  I am looking forward to settling into a familiar routine where I don't have to look at my schedule every 10 minutes to know what I'm supposed to be doing.

I celebrate independence.  Last night, my son drove himself to Boy Scout camp which is about 90 minutes away.  This is the farthest we've ever let him drive by himself.  (He got his license in May.)  He arrived safely, and even remembered to text his worrying mom to let her know.

I celebrate the bounty of my garden.  The tomatoes are ready -- really ready.  I will spend some time tomorrow figuring out how I am going to use all of them.  I see a huge pot of chili and spaghetti sauce in our future...

What are you celebrating this week?  Be sure to visit Ruth's blog and link up.

Wishing you a week of wonderful celebrations!

First Day Poem {SOL 9-02-14}

First Day

Wake before the alarm
Here we go
Months off have refreshed me
Restored me
Relaxed me
But have they prepared me?

Multiply my anticipation
By 24
And that's a lot of responsibility
To carry
To own
To balance.

But my anticipation breeds action.

I am off --
To inspire
To nurture
To grow
(And with a little luck)
To teach.

Celebrating My To Do List {8-20-14}

School begins on Tuesday and I am in a good place.

I have my "To Do List" to thank for this.

All week long, I have been getting ready for school to begin, adding both large and small tasks to my list of things I need to finish.  Tasks from "make copies" to "first week lesson plans."

As the week progressed, I was very diligent in making sure that a task was completed before moving on to the next one.

You see, in the past I have been the kind of person who has twenty balls up in the air at the same time.  I spend so much of my mental energy trying to keep those balls from falling down on my head that I don't get anything really finished.

The result?  Lots of stress.

But not this year.

This year, I am ready.

That is definitely worth celebrating.

Signs of Fall {SOL 8-26-14}

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for helping us all share a Slice of Life.

Today is my first official day back to work.  Like many of you, I have spent several hours getting ready for today, but today is the day when it all becomes official.

Back in June, this day seemed so far away.....

Sigh.

To help ease back into a new year, I have been trying to convince myself that summer is over.  You see, it is much easier to get back into the mood of school if I'm not still thinking about swimming pools, afternoons on the patio, and wearing shorts.

Here are the ways that I've noticed that summer is coming to an end and fall is here:

* My purple cone flowers have faded to a dull pink.  Their prickly, seedy centers are being visited by the gold finches who flit from flower to flower gathering seed.  (I love to watch the gold finches!)

* The feathers of the Sandhill Cranes that I pass in fields are also fading from a rich brown to a dull grey.  Soon they will take flight for Mexico.

* The tomatoes are ready!  Every visit to the garden yields armfuls of fresh produce that I have been waiting all summer to enjoy.

* The sun is sleeping in.  She doesn't rise until after 6:00 am now.  She worked hard during the summer and is taking a well deserved rest.

* I am craving pumpkin, apples, and cinnamon.  This weekend, I will take the short ride to the local apple orchard for some of the early season offerings.

* Football!  I'm ready to spend Sunday afternoons watching my beloved Packers.

* The bunches of grasses that I have planted around my patio have sent up the most beautiful wispy seed stalks.  I love to watch them dance in the wind.

Like every season, fall offers so many delights to be enjoyed.  It is a time to come back into yourself, to nurture your body, mind, and soul with all of the comforts that have been absent for the past several months.

I am ready.

Celebrating a Summer Night {8-23-14)

Last night, my husband and I went out for dinner.  As it was a warm summer evening, we took his convertible, a snappy little red thing that he bought himself when he turned 40.  (I call it his 'midlife crisis car', but that is another story for another day...)

As we were driving home, it was dark -- country road dark -- No street lights, no passing cars, no light from the moon.

I put my head back on the headrest, closed my eyes, and became mindful of the sounds and scents around me.

As we drove past corn fields, there was the song of the crickets, high pitched and shrill.  Even though my eyes were closed, I knew when we passed by a driveway or house because the song temporarily stopped and then resumed again as we moved down the road.

As we went past wooded areas, the scent of the air because sweet and spicy from the evergreens.  For a moment, I was transported back to my childhood and summer vacations up north at my uncle's cabin.

Opening my eyes, there were hundreds of fireflies lingering above the corn stalks in the fields.  Their yellow flashes were going off both singularly and simultaneously.  I wondered if their glowing lights made them an easier target for predators.  I remembered when I was a kid, stuffing grass clippings and twigs in a mason jar to try to keep some fireflies as pets.  (I guess I was acting as a predator then, so answer to that wondering is 'yes, their glowing lights do make them an easy target.')

Soon summer will be gone and the convertible will be put into the garage until next spring.

That makes it even more important that we stop and savor these last sips of summer while we can.

Thank you, Ruth Ayres, for reminding us to celebrate even the littlest things in life.

Make today count,
Jennifer