Reflections before Day 1

I had grand plans this summer with respect to my classroom. 

I would come up with a cool theme. I would create a new bulletin board around my new section names (moons around Jupiter!). I would be able to go thru and organize all of my resources spread out over [take a breath] bookmarks, Facebook saves, email, Instagram pictures, podcasts, Feedly feeds, Evernote notebooks and Google Drive folders. I would plan new activities and streamline my stale/boring curriculum. 

Yeah, that did not happen. 

Instead to quote Sam Sifton of the NYtimes (who is quoting Sylvia Plath) [Sifton] “We’re hurtling through the season now” [Plath] “The best of the summer gone and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time” 

Wow! I open up a random email and the thought/truth is right there. Life moves fast. My summer will be over in a few hours. A new school year is beginning

and I needed a reminder that this is a special time. I am a teacher. I will be fine, without a theme or a new bulletin board. And I had a wonderful summer. 

First, with a bit of relaxing time, after school got out. I usually leave the island THE DAY we get out of meetings. This summer, I had 2 weeks here to decompress. Read. Watch TV. Hike. Thinking about it, I honestly don’t remember what I did. 

Then, family adventures in Vancouver. We finally can enjoy each others company. 

Back to Boston to hang out with my niece. She is of a cool age. Everything is new. We read Greek Myth and then went to the museum to look for Greek art. We hunted for the best cupcake. We ran on the Rail Trail. We spent nights at the grandparents (her great-grandparents). We had lots of ice cream. 

Then, surprisingly, off to Switzerland for epic adventures with friends. For days, up to leaving, I agonized over what to bring. Did I really need ANOTHER sports bra? New hiking pants? But, in the end, all I needed was a determination to hike up big mountains. After a difficult year with severe health challenges, I was ready. 

Back to Boston for a hot minute, before meeting up with the Duke Girls in Asheville, North Carolina. Gosh, at some point, I was so worried about this trip. Would I still fit in with my group of friends? But, my friends are awesome and killing it in so many ways. I had lots of laughs and GREAT food while hanging out. I also saw my alma mater for the first time in 22 years. 

And, I’ve been back on the island for more than a week. It has been hot!!! But perfect for me to realize that it is okay that I didn’t get thru my To-do list (and maybe never will). I read. I binged watched Stranger Things and Veronica Mars. I ran. 

And now I set my alarm for tomorrow. I pack my bag. I am ready for tomorrow. 

Welcome!

aloha,

Welcome to my second blog! All about my job! Wahoo! And I have the BEST job ever; teaching 92 wonderfully crazy eighth graders. I say crazy because in January/February I usually say that my students "go over to the dark side". We are just too comfortable with each other. They drive me crazy!!!! I know the troublemakers (and watch them like hawks) and I know those who are really interested in science. But then, they know me. They know that I love, LOVE science and that I am always smiling (even when yelling). They know that when I close my eyes and start breathing deeply, that I am reaching my breaking point. Oh, come April, they will return "to the light" and I will cherish ever last moment I have with these kids.

I actually had this blog post ready to go on Monday, but I just couldn't come up with a "cool" blog title. I follow blogs called "It's not all flowers and sausages" (3rd grade teacher - She is hilarious and you must check out) and "Tall Mom on the Run" (hopefully you can see that one is about running). I really needed a clever title. Suddenly this morning (at 4:47 am), it came to me. Change of State. It fits. I teach science and recently just covered matter and the changes it undergoes. My students had to complete a lab, in which they did these mini experiments and decided whether physical or chemical changes. They see that changes of state (i.e. melting, evaporating, etc.) are just physical changes because the substance never changes.

But it also fits my current situation. Five years ago, I headed west from Boston, Massachusetts and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. At least I had a fabulous job, but I knew no one here........Five years, and I love it here! The weather (this weekend I am heading to the beach), the people (did you know it is rude to honk here?), the relaxed nature of the place (aloha), and the fact that I am not THE teacher of color at my school. Ultimately I know I will return to the snowy Boston (and my family), but for now - I am so happy.