22 June 2013

getting closer

bittersweet days of late as i finish up a life-long career. a friend tells me i am milking it, taking too much time to finish up and get out. perhaps he's right - but i like the slow, deliberate pace, the empty spaces, the quiet reflecting, the reminiscing and remembering that goes along with all the sorting and packing. so many years. so many kids. so many memories. oh - and sooo much stuff! but more about that in another post...

17 June 2013

the big O-6.

for months, the little girl's been talking about advancing to the next age on her birthday, the fraction after her present age getting smaller and smaller by day. i've been looking at cards, trying to find a good one, a readable one, but mostly, one that references "6"! by this age, though, it seems both hallmark and america greeting have added a gender piece - the "girl" cards are pink and cursive, with fairies and princesses, while the "boy" cards are bold and blue and emblazoned with fast cars and superheroes. take out the boy reference and this is the best card i can find: the sentiment is long but decodable, the card folds in on top of itself many times, and it references six about seven times! so i doctor the card, covering boy with a trimmed yellow post-it note and writing girl. i know she'll notice, but i hope she won't mind. and i left the accompanying blue envelope in the rack and took a pink one from behind a fairy card.

11 June 2013

alliteration

out my window, in my garden, left-leaning lupines. i thought that sounded hysterical, all those l sounds, and wanted to capture the sight to add to the blog or to instagram. it was even more funny, though, when i downloaded the picture file and realized i took the shot from the wrong side!

06 June 2013

almost the end

a week from tomorrow will be my last day of school. my last last day of school. i've had forty last days now, and there will be no more.

some of my students tell me retiring is the same as quitting, and i wonder if, in some respects, they are right. in an odd way, i feel a bit like i'm giving up on my profession - not on kids, just on the the way they're guided through the education process. i have always tried so hard to make learning fascinating, fun and joyous for kids, as it is for me, and i'm just not convinced that's happening any more. sometimes i feel responsible, like i should stick around and try more, try harder. and sometimes i feel like i should just move on and attempt to find a better way. clearly, i have chosen the latter and, at this point, there's no turning back. but i can't help but wonder if i'm doing the right thing.

i have taken a part time position that involves children and books, two elements that are a huge part of my present job. although this position will be very different than what i'm doing now, i am hoping having those two constants will help make my transition easier. 

as i blogged last fall, i am not a fan of change. i've been trying hard to be excited about this next stage of my life, and i hope and trust i eventually will be. but for this next week, i think things might just be a little scary and uncertain. and, most likely, a little bit sad. 

01 June 2013

win-win situation

i love t-ball. it's such a civilized game. everybody plays. everybody's at bat until they hit. everyone runs the bases and comes home. players take turns pitching and catching and everyone has a turn in those positions. the coaches are patient and encouraging. the crowd roots for both teams. there's no score. and when the game is over and it's time to go home, each team gives a cheer to their opponents before players high-five each other.  no better team sport than that!