Two Days

2 days.

That's it. That's all that is left of this first year of teaching for me. Wow. There were definitely times when I did not think this week would ever come.

When I try to think of words to describe this year, I simply cannot choose just one. Crazy. Hard. Funny. Joyful. Exhausting. Humbling. Stressful. Happy. Busy. Unpredictable. Worth it.

I have learned things this year that I could not have learned any other way. That said, I will absolutely do some things differently next year. At the beginning of the school year, our principal talked to us about making sure we had time to "fill up our cups," meaning that we should take time outside of work to do things we actually enjoy. When I heard her say that, I thought, "Well of course I will do that!" But I didn't. Not for most of the year anyway. So, I felt chronically tired, sick (literally- flu, kidney stone, passing out), and burned out.

I care about my students. A lot. I want them to do well and I want to "consume myself to light the way for others." All that said, family matters. Friends matter. Church matters. My health and well-being matter. Next year, I will make more time for those things earlier in the year.

Other than that, really no regrets. I have made a lot of mistakes (understatement of the year). But, sometimes those mistakes provide the best opportunities for learning and growth.

2 days. Then summer is here. What will I do with myself, you ask? I'll miss my students, sure. I'll probably even visit them at summer school. I have joked about "sitting on the couch and watching TV all summer," but that probably will not happen. Honestly, I'll probably find a way to make myself busy like I always do. But in the midst of the Peru trip, working at a camp, organizing my classroom for next year, teaching swim lessons, and going to teacher trainings, I think I will get a pedicure. I think I'll sit out by the pool, get a massage, work out, and finish reading all of the Harry Potter books that I once started. I never understood before why teachers get an entire summer off while the rest of the world continues working. And then I became a teacher. I get it.