I’ve definitely ended my fantastic summer vacation the right way–by looking forward to the upcoming new school year with as much ease as I possibly can. My classroom is as decorated as I want it to be, I’ve got lesson plans for the first week and I’ve previewed my class rosters. The most important thing is that I’ve not worked this weekend.
It’s always a wonderful thing to relax, destress and return to work refreshed and full of creative ideas. Although I certainly don’t agree with some of the practices that are done in the name of the all mighty standardized tests (this year, we’ll have more assessments than “normal” since we’re phasing out one and phasing in another), but I’ve written a handful of lesson plans already and I’m excited to get into that groove again. Since we’re on block scheduling, I only have to write six lessons a week versus ten since I have two preps.
Last year, I hung up several pieces of decorative cloth that I collected from my life of teaching and traveling abroad. I’ve decided to go with that theme again, but I’ve only decorated the front of my classroom so I can dedicate the rest of my wall space to student work. It’ll just be easier to display their creations without my decorations interrupting.
Some people were referring to this weekend as the last “free” weekend, but I disagree with seeing school as something negative. I like vacation as much as the next person, but I also know that I can still have an enjoyable social life, especially while living in a happening town like Austin.
As a matter of fact, on the evening of the first day of school, I’m going to an interesting potluck dinner hosted by some local artists I’ve not seen in a long time, meeting a friend for dinner at one of my favorite soul food restaurants later on in the week, going to hear the Buena Vista Social Club on Friday and going downtown to celebrate a friend’s birthday on Saturday night.
And whynot? When I’m at school, I’m the picture of organization, creative energy and efficiency. Outside of school, I must relax, recharge my batteries and interact with the rest of society. I get most of my best ideas when I’m either exercising, especially swimming, or attending a cultural event.
At the same time, on school nights, I make sure I get to bed at a reasonable hour in order to get my 7 to 8 hours of sleep. There are many delusional people who believe that they can do “just fine” with fewer hours of sleep, but I cannot think of anyone who suffers from that delusion and doesn’t get jacked up on caffeine and/or sugar in order to function.
At my age, 40.9, I stick to doing things the natural route since any shortcut I take as far as diet, exercise or sleep will negatively affect my lower back. That has been a consistent source of pain for me. I hold stress in my shoulders, jaws and lower back. I’ve gotten better about not hunching my shoulders, but I still have to wear a nightguard. So far, yoga and chiropractic treatment have just started to chip away at my cemented lo back–just in time for school.