A Teacher's Ruminations

at the end of the school day I pack my school and computer bags stuff books and papers in both bags  and make a mental list of all the things I'm going to accomplish tonight I get home at 5:00 pm and head for my bedroom and a hot shower the water is not hot, but it will do my husband and son go for a walk meanwhile I grab my computer,  determined to clear the tabs from my browser 30 minutes later, I've bookmarked a few, and left others to review tomorrow I still haven't gotten through my to do list from two days ago I carry the weight of all the things I haven't done I want to empty my bag at school only a notebook left there at the end of the day  to plan, reflect or for reading I am forever fighting this feeling of coming from behind never catching up always more to do I struggle with being kind to myself so, it's time to pick up a book  read myself to sleep tomorrow  an empty school bag only a...

I'm riding on a cloud at the moment, starting to relax. My relationship with my students is changing. Will it last? Maybe it started towards the end of our first read aloud, Rules by Cynthia Lord. Or it may it's because of  Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. It doesn't matter. But will it last? It feels right. It feels satisfying. The tension is slowly fading away a fleeting memory even now. Why did it take so long, I wonder? Or, maybe it's the way of building a community. It takes time for everyone to settle in to figure out their role. to trust each other to know that this is for keeps. Do they feel the same way? I smile more. I am myself. I am like the cat who curls up into a ball, and feeling blissful, purrs and purrs and purrs. I am inside my teacher self. We read. We write. We talk. We laugh. We experiment. It's gonna be all right. Cross posted to Slice of Life Tuesday