The First Week of Summer: Lessons Learned
It’s been a week since summer started. I pride myself on being a lifetime learner, and I am trying to continue to write and reflect as I tried to do this school year. My goal this summer is to write weekly to recap what I’ve learned, what amazed me, what made me think, what made me grow, and what made me shrink. Some lessons are big; some simple. Regardless, as human beings we should constantly be willing to change and grow and thrive in our environments. I may not constantly be thriving this past week; honestly, it seems more like surviving. Regardless, I’m keeping my head above water, and this is what I’ve learned with one week of summer under my belt:
1. Accept my limitations. I played cornhole twice this week--once at a graduation party and the second time at a cookout at my neighbor’s house. Both times, I scored only one point for my team. Both times, people laughed at my cornhole “skills.” Honestly, I thought it was the heat that kept making the bag stick in my hand in my release. I tried to place blame on the position I was in; I didn’t like having to cross over to the left side of my body. Yet, when it comes down to it, I just am not good at cornhole unless you want a good laugh. I actually laughed a lot playing, which is another good lesson. You've got to be able to laugh at yourself in life sometimes. I also learned this week that I can’t place blame on anything; sometimes, I’m just not good at things, and that’s okay.
2. Grass Cutting. I’m the only adult living in my house for the next four weeks of summer. My husband is slightly north of Harrisonburg directing a sports camp there and won’t be home until July 15th. I don't love this situation, but I'm figuring it out. I’m okay doing my usual household duties, but I’ve assumed his as well, one being cutting the grass. I’ve cut the grass numerous times before this. Sometimes, I try to surprise my husband by getting it done when I know he has a lot on his plate. In a conversation this week, my dad was trying to convince me to find a teenager to pay while my husband is gone, but I’ve found grass cutting almost therapeutic. It’s given me time to think, to appreciate my backyard that my kids tend to tear up with their soccer balls and lacrosse sticks. And it’s made me realize that sometimes it’s good to step out of our traditional roles and try something new. My grass cutting is no work of art, but it’s provided time to think and for me a sense of pride in terms of what I am capable of doing.
3. Innovation. I started reading a book called The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros for a professional development session I will be attending in two weeks. It’s all about creating a culture of creativity in the classroom. I know this might make me a bit of a nerd to read a book about teaching, but the only way I know I can improve is to open my eyes to new ideas, and this book is providing me with some really fresh ways to teach. There has been one quote in particular that has stood out in my reading: “Change is an opportunity to do something amazing.” As teachers, many of us remain stagnant in the way we teach. This book is definitely opening my mind to how I can change to improve my classroom teaching--to hopefully do something amazing! 
4. It’s all about perspective. We lost power this past Tuesday for about 5 hours. I sat in my living room without a single flashlight. My husband took all of our flashlights with him to camp. As I sat in candlelight annoyed that there was no power to listen to music, that my phone was dying a quick death, and my house was way too quiet, I heard peals of laughter upstairs. I went up and saw Katie and Jack had built a fort. It had multiple “rooms” and they had “provisions” (a.k.a. Golfiish, pretzels, and popcorn) and were ready for the night. I realized in that moment that sometimes it’s all about perspective. While I was frustrated that I was without flashlights and power, my kids created their own hotel--one in which they did sleep in all night.
5. I’m not smarter than a second grader. I learned how to deactivate a Facebook account this week. I somehow discovered on Jack’s Kindle that he had a Facebook account. How does a second grader even know how to set that up? Fortunately, he had no “friends” nor did he have a single post. He did have 9 notifications, though. This is the child people tell me will be running our country one day if not the world. Either that or he will achieve his current dream of being a comedian. Regardless, I did not find this situation funny.
6. Slow down. I actually consider myself a pretty patient person, but this week, I’ve noticed a lot of people around me are not. I was asked to work the electronic scoreboard at Jack’s baseball game this week. I knew nothing about operating such equipment, but I figured it out by trial and error. At one point in the game, a man from the other team started yelling at me to change the inning; I somehow had gotten behind. The yelling threw me off, quite honestly. I also timed a swim meet this week and noticed that same impatience from kids wanting to know their time, in coaches, and even in parents cheering their kids on the sidelines. We seem to put so much pressure on everyone to be perfect. Sometimes I think we need to just slow down.
7. The New Taco Bell. I have found a restaurant I despise more than Taco Bell, believe it or not. On Thursday, Maggie celebrated her 12th birthday. She was allowed to choose where we ate dinner. I gave her no options (mistake #1). She chose Golden Corral (mistake #2). That now ranks as a restaurant establishment that is worse than eating at Taco Bell. In fact, I would eat at Taco Bell once a week for the summer before ever setting foot in a Golden Corral again. The idea of a buffet of fried food and people returning to that buffet three and four times with piles of food on their plates is just not appealing to me. I did meet a few people there, though, because I was at the buffet so much helping my kids. One man turned to me and asked, “Where do you put it?” I realized that he was referencing the four times I had been to the buffet--none of which were for myself but for my three kids. Believe it or not, I’d eat that taco in a Dorito shell at Taco Bell again in a heartbeat!
8. 1%. The movement lives on. A friend of mine posted recently on Facebook, soliciting donations for kids going to Camp Hope as a "Be the Good" project. She was looking for used clothes and new underwear and socks for the kids attending the camp. I usually contribute to causes when I see them come up, but this time I acted immediately. My kids and I went shopping and picked out things for Camp Hope and dropped them off at her house. I later received a text thanking me and how much she is inspired by what’s gone on in my classroom. I smiled at this thought, knowing it’s the power for the 1% movement. Thank you for that. Every time I find the opportunity, I think of you all and how much good you accomplished this year. I think about being 1% better. These are the things that have helped me thrive, especially when life throws me the curveballs it does.
9. Musical Research. I learned what the song “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd actually is about missed opportunities and how sometimes our horizons are limited. It depressed me, honestly. I had no idea the song was so deep; I really thought it was about a simple relationship like so many songs are. It was not an intentional educational experience, but it made me start listening to the lyrics of music that has been ingrained in my repertoire for years. And then I started analyzing the music my kids listen to on a regular basis. While Maggie will listen to a variety, Katie and Jack only really like pop--particularly the stuff that’s on the radio. I've realized there’s not really deep, poetic lyrics on the radio anymore. This might make me sound “old,” and whiny, but I’m okay with that. I stand by this fact as much as I stand by the Beatles as a great band. If you can prove me wrong, I’d love to hear some music I should listen to.
10. Voices. I have learned I miss your voices. I told you I would cry at graduation, and I did. In case you didn't notice, I was smiling through those tears, though. There is an emptiness that I feel, and it started that night in knowing that I had to say goodbye to my students.
I’ve received some emails, some messages on Remind and Twitter, some notes, some texts, but I miss the voices of my students. Social media is not the same as hearing what you’re thinking. Although, I did receive two Beatles-inspired photos from you at various places where you were visiting and was so excited that the places you were visiting had such strong Beatles influences:
Summer is great, and I need to spend time with my kids and recharge my battery, but I do miss you and know I will continue to do so. Let me know how your summer is going when you get a chance and it gets underway.
And stay tuned for week 2 of what I've learned in summer next week….
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