Teachers--What are you doing with your last few weeks of freedom?

[Haven]

My whirlwind summer is quickly coming to a halt! I go back to work for an institute day two weeks from Monday, August 11th, and the kids have their first day of school Tuesday, August 12th. I can''t believe it''s coming up so soon, and I want to cherish these next two weeks for the blessing that they are!

I think I''m going to do the following:
- Lunch with as many friends as possible, because I am surely going to ignore them for the first several months of the school year.
- Attend mid-afternoon exercise glasses at the gym with all the ladies of leisure.
- Write. I never do much of this when I''m teaching.
- Read. I really don''t do enough of this when I''m teaching. Any good book recs?
- Sleep in every single day, because once school starts I''m waking up in the 4s again!

- Take my dogs to the doggy park.
- Get a mani/pedi. And then I''m going to ruin the mani during my first week of school, the chalk is so bad for my nails.
- Go out dancing with hubby on a weeknight at least twice!
- Heck, go out on a weeknight. I never have the energy to do this during the school year.
- Spend my last free Saturdays and Sundays making a huge breakfast and then reading in our gorgeous backyard. After this I''ll either be grading papers or at speech tournaments all day on Saturdays.

I have a serious case of the end-of-summer blues, please help me perk up with your fabulous end-of-summer plans!

 

[indypitty]

Ugh! I can''t believe we''re so close to the beginning of school... I also go back August 11th! Your to-do list sounds a little more fun than mine.

* Sleep in (of course! I wake up at 5:30 during the school year)
* Finish cleaning the house (I''m really cleaning - closets, cabinets, everything... and taking a bunch of stuff to Goodwill)
* Go into school to get my classroom ready (haven''t stepped foot in school all summer!)
* Read a good book (I want a fluffy read - went to a few stores for Tori Spelling''s bio, sold out everywhere. May need to order from Amazon)
* Play a lot with our dog since I feel so guilty leaving her when I go to work
* Cook some fabulous meals for new hubby (I LOVE to cook, but get lazy on weeknights during the school year)
* RELAX!!! (We were also just married this summer, and I don''t feel like I had enough time to relax!)

 

[Blair138]

OMG ladies you go back quite early-Haven I know you live in the same area as me!! I go back Aug 22 and the first day of school is the 25th-But we don't get out until June 12th this year

I am going to:

READ more books
Play with my doggy more during the day
Sleep in
Continue to get my morning run in
Enjoy my freedom from my Master's class too (I start that again on the 23rd)
PLAN MY WEDDING!
Try to spend more time outside
Stay up LATE

Is it bad that I really DREAD going back???

 

[KimberlyH]

I''ve been working this summer (summer school and babysitting) so my freedom is limited to the week and a half I have off before school begins. I''ll be substituting again this year (long story short: don''t have diploma yet, can''t apply for credential + there are very few jobs in CA right now), so I don''t quite count, as I don''t have my own classroom but I am certainly looking forward to my time off. I''m going to take a 6 day vacation, by myself, to visit friends and family in Northern CA.

 

[Haven]

Indypitty--I know what you mean about not feeling like you''ve had enough time to relax. It must sound ridiculous to say this since we just got back from our honeymoon, but I feel the same way. Summer is for loooong, lazy weeks in the house and about town, and I did not get that this summer!
Is that your dog in your avatar? ADORABLE! What''s her name?
I read Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik on our honeymoon. It''s a really light read but it was really good, perfect summer reading.

Blair--I wish I could pass off all my wedding mags to you since we''re so close! (I wonder if I can? Maybe we need to schedule a Chicago GTG!
Good luck with your master''s, I just finished one this past March, I know how tough it is to teach full-time AND go to grad school.
I''ll post a review about all of our vendors once I get our pictures and video back, just in case you want to try any of them. I can''t say enough good things about our caterer and band!
I dread going back, too, I really do. It''s just so exhausting.

Kimberly--I hope you take that week and a half to RELAX, lady! You deserve it! If you ever decide to move to Chicago I know a TON of administrators at all grade levels, by the way . . . just a thought.

What does everyone teach, by the way? I teach English to high school students (sophomores and juniors this year) and I''m a Reading Specialist so I run a reading intervention program, too. This year I''ll only teach a regular English classroom 1/3 of the time, and do reading interventions 2/3 of the time, I''m nervous about giving up so many classes, I know I''ll miss them.

 

[Elmorton]

Writing/re-working syllabi, finishing/starting the textbook I''m co-authoring. Ugh, I''m such a killjoy in this thread.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 7/25/2008 5:27:19 PM
Author: Haven

Kimberly--I hope you take that week and a half to RELAX, lady! You deserve it! If you ever decide to move to Chicago I know a TON of administrators at all grade levels, by the way . . . just a thought.

It''s been a tough summer, working in an ASD classroom with 3/5 adults having little to no experience with our understanding of these amazing children and their special needs was quite challenging. I''m definitely ready for some time off, and then I''ll miss the kids and be ready to go back. Chicago has come up a few times in conversations lately, but I think we''re pretty settled on staying put unless the market gets a lot worse in CA. I''m still counting on you to meet me at The Drake for tea in December.

 

[Tuckins1]

I just finished my special ed student teaching yesterday... But I already got a job 3 weeks ago!! I have three weeks before I begin, and I am watching my niece (she''s visiting from Georgia), reading, and working on my house (we have been renovating for 2 years). I am so excited and nervous to start working, I''m trying to relax and gather my nerves before I begin!!