365 Days of Bliss-Day 31-School’s Out for Summer…
Hello Sweet Shoppers! ShannonG here with a few Summer ramblings for you all on this gloomy Tuesday, well it’s gloomy here in midwestern Illinois…I hope you have sunshine wherever you may be!
Awww…the last day of school…there really is something about it that is just special…it sounds good when I say it in my head and even better when I say it out loud! Technically today was supposed to be the last day of school, but I have the most amazing boss who let us all go home on Thursday and not return until August (ohhh I like the sounds of that too, AUGUST!).
I know I probably sound like a big kid right about now, but I don’t mind, I still feel like a kid sometimes, and the end of the school year brings just as much joy to an educator as it does to our kids. Not that we don’t love our jobs (cause most of us do), not because we don’t love your kids (cause most of us do), but just because it is an amazing thing to realize that for 8-10 weeks, depending on how long your Summer is, educators (and kids) get to sleep in, spend time with our families and possibly go on a vacation or two.
This will be my second transition Summer and I’m not gonna lie-it is a bit stressful, but I’m trying not to worry to much until August.
I’m not sure how many of you know that I work for our local Special Education Cooperative. Up until last year I had worked with High School Emotional/Behavior Disorder students. In August I switched jobs and spent the last school year working with 4th-6th grade students. It was a HUGE (and very challenging) change for me but one I realized I completely love. There is something about the little ones that makes them a bit more near and dear to my heart. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I really feel like I’m making an impact on so many parts of their lives, not just “school”.
This year was made even a little harder because for the last 10 years I worked 5 minutes from home at the same High School that my big boys attend. It was great to have my finger on the pulse of their school lives, thankfully they didn’t mind and actually enjoyed having me near them every day. With the change in jobs this year came a change of “housing”. Instead of being 5 minutes from work-I know drive 15 minutes to a different town. I really resented the drive at first but grew to at least tolerate it.
Which brings me to the transition that is happening this Summer…
Because I work for a Special Education Cooperative, it means that we don’t have our own building, that we are housed within other districts and our students are bused in to one central location. The school building I worked in last year is closing (or is closed now), so we had to find an alternative placement for our program. We heard lots of rumblings throughout the year about where we were going to be located but got the final word in April. I have to admit I’m not thrilled and am very nervous about our new location. So I’m happy that I have the Summer to digest the move because I know that I felt the exact same way last June and everything worked out so well.
I have no doubt that having June-July and half of August off work will give me clarity about everything and by our Fall Institute I will be ready to get in the classroom and do what I love. Impact the lives of little people who make my life so rewarding!
This is also a exciting Summer because I will be getting ready to send my Zachary to college…so unreal to me that my sweet little freckle face boy is going to be a freshman in college. He will be living in a house with 5 other basketball players so I’m not sure how “all out” I want to go on buying him things for his new residence, but I may not be able to stop myself!
Well-I better sign off for the day…I honestly wish I had had the time to take a really awesome picture for you all-but May has been a whirlwind month for me, so I will leave you with a photo of my newly graduated Zachary Prescott…
