Friday, June 29, 2012

Busyness

My last post was titled "summer school part one," which denotes that there should have been a "summer school part two" post.  There was not, although I promise that I had excellent intentions of writing part two.  Sometimes intentions just aren't meant to become actions.  I can say that the second half of summer school was just as enjoyable as the first.  Everyone passed on to begin their eighth grade careers and leave the middle school behind.

The week after summer school, I went to an Advanced Placement summer institute for the week.  I went for three reasons. 1) I knocked out five of my seven days of professional development for the summer, which means I don't have to worry about PD until August, 2) it's some of the most useful PD that I think you can attend, and 3) it renews my certification to teach pre-AP courses at the middle school.  I felt like it was a really productive week, and I learned a lot of strategies that I will definitely be using in my classroom next year.  June PD accomplished!  Let the summer fun begin....

Almost. While I was doing all these school things, I also decided that it was an excellent idea to take two online courses.  I'm trying to knock out my masters quickly, for reasons unknown even to me.  The thing is, I'm a big nerd, and I love school.  I'll probably be in college forever.  Anyway, I should have known from the beginning that I was overextending myself for the month of June.  I've written I don't know how many blog posts about the evils of being too busy and how I'm committing myself to a slower pace....yeah right.  I'm a "yes man" to the core, and I LOVE being busy and feeling productive.  I know that I'm like that because I look at my friends and they're like that too, "Sisters, doing it for themselves," to quote one of my favorite songs.

So, while I am beyond excited for the break that I know is coming in the month of July, I just felt the need to say that there is nothing wrong with being busy.  Yes, it will lead to occasional small breakdowns and the need to sometimes have chocolate and frozen yogurt for dinner, but busyness keeps the world running.

2 comments:

  1. Just sayin’ . . .

    Don’t neglect your rep . . .

    I have 9 more days of summer school left and for reasons beyond my understanding . . . I’m teaching 9th graders . . .

    So this morning, a woman I’d never met before was in the office to see if her daughter could drive herself to school (seems there’s a district policy) and she called me by name.

    Apparently, at some point in my past I’d had 2 of her three children in class . . . and her youngest was now in summer school . . .

    She said, “She really likes you . . . she said, ‘Mr. Wootton explains the stuff.” (yup . . . stuff).

    While it was nice to hear, it did remind me how who I am moves through the years.

    An amazing responsibility.

    I’ll forgo the chocolate and yogurt . . .

    I’m gonna tear the tiles outta my bathroom . . .

    Relax how you can.

    Enjoy the beach.

    Glenn

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  2. I'm glad you got some positive reinforcement! It's always good to know that you're explaining "stuff" the way that kids need to hear it. Thanks for continuing to read. It's getting pretty obvious that I'm in summer hiatus mode. I promise there's more blogging during the school year.

    Jessica

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