Skip to main content

Fare Thee Well Summer Vacation...We Hardly Knew Thee

It's official, summer is over. Tomorrow morning I will be standing at the front gates of the school, once again greeting bewildered and terrified middle school students. I've been working on my classroom all week long, preparing for the onslaught of pandemonium and laughter that 12 and 13 year olds tend to bring with them wherever they go.

Right now, my room is beautiful. Organized, clean, orderly. Bulletin Boards have been decorated, desks have been arranged, copies for the week have been made, papers have been filed. I always start out the year this way, so many plans and so much hope. But it is never too long before my room, along with my mind, surrenders to the chaos. Because I am teaching the same group of students I had last year, I know that a pool will begin on the first day to how long they will be able to see the top of my desk. Last year, the longest period was three hours.

*Sigh* It's hard to say goodbye to summer days, but say goodbye I must.

Goodbye hours of uninterupted reading time...

I especially enjoyed reading the Twilight series. I'm not ashamed...I'm a member of Team Edward.


Farewell lazy pool days...


And impromptu getaways...

Goodbye to family visiting adventures...


Farewell to Arts and Crafts Time...

And mid-morning bike rides...

Until next time.

**The first day of school just wrapped up. The kids think that my desk will be covered, and my new-found organizational tactics thrown to the wind, by Wednesday. They have such little faith in me!**

Popular posts from this blog

We're Moving...

To celebrate the big transition to Vietnam, we at the Richert Ranch have decided to relocate webwise as well. It seems time for fresh starts all around. We hope you join us .

What in the....?

I know...it has been months (months!! How did that happen?!). I can tell you how it happened... * swine flu paranoia in Ecuador * whirlwind tours of the USA from D.C. to California * a swimming sensation that is six years old, and the Transformer's expert * a beautiful 11 month old that fell in love with her uncle * bbq's galore * weekends away with the greatest of friends * new bikes (Oh, Isis...I miss you already) * let's be honest....Target, Costco, and the Patagonia outlet contributed to the silence * 14 hour road trips * napkin making * concerts that had to be attended (I really do love you Josh Ritter. Really) * books to purchase and read * and, of course, all that repacking * which only leads to all that unpacking It's been a busy two and half months kids.

I'm Feeling a Teacher Geek Out Comin' On!

There are four weeks left of school (28 days counting weekends), and usually this benchmark is characterized by complete and utter exhaustion.  A little of the "I just need to make it through this day" attitude.  Past April/Mays of my teaching life have been filled with days where I am just trying to keep my head above water.  I'm tired, the kids are tired, we are all a little bit irritable, and patience doesn't seem to be a virtue that makes it on my list.  By the end of the year, I am so thankful for the break to just physically and emotionally recoup.  But, this year....this year is proving to be different. Thanks to some of my rockstar co-workers, I have been energized in an unaccountable way.  I'm talking a full-fledge teacher geek out, usually only experienced in the first few months of the school year.  Technology people, best motivator ever. Here's the top five technology wonders currently making appearances in the Richert classroom: 1.  Voicethreads: ...