THE LETTER ARRIVED

I honestly try to avoid thinking too much about back to school until THE LETTER arrives.  It arrived last week.  Our district letter began with, "It is that point of your summer break that you receive the dreaded welcome back letter."

The opening to the letter did admittedly make me smile.  The word "dreaded" is generally associated with the welcome back to school letter, but I think the key to really being ready for back to school is working hard to get the most out of the summer months.  Some teachers spend at least a little time in some type of professional development training, and that's great.  Other teachers take some time to travel, and that's great.  Other teachers work another part-time job to earn some extra money, and that's great too.  And I'm guessing that some teachers also get in a few "projects" around the house like we did this summer.

So while the letter did arrive, most of us are ready to start the new school year.  We are recharged; we are refreshed; perhaps we have retooled with some new teaching strategies or enhanced our content knowledge.  And to be honest, it's still just August 4th.  We report back on the 16th, so we still have a lot of time left before the official work begins.

Yes, the letter arrived.  Yes, the official summer break is winding down.  That's okay, though.  Soon I will be getting the opportunity to meet and experience a brand new set of students that will teach me, will make me smile, will frustrate me, and will enrich my life with their lives.  Sounds like fun.