the mud

I can't believe my second child is off to college this fall. Every time I see a young a family, I find myself saying, "Enjoy it!" even though I know those words fell on deaf ears when I heard them, oh about 5 minutes ago. But still, I am trying to enjoy it. I am trying to enjoy even this stage of college and not-quite-out-of-the-house-yet. My daughter insisted last week that she could just drive herself to a surgical procedure, "I AM 18, mom!" Yes, you are. And I'm going to enjoy even that remark! A few weeks ago I accompanied her to college orientation. It was so wonderful being on a college campus and going to 'classes'. Even thought she's my second, I still needed orientation in a big way. One thing they reminded us as parents was about counseling services. "Everyone needs a boost now and then," they said, "That's what we're here for." It was so reassuring. I didn't even know I needed to hear that, but I did. I...

There is a meme for teachers that reads, "Teachers Aren't on Summer Vacation, They are in Recovery." While that is certainly true on many levels, teachers are also reflective. We are out of school, but school's not out of us yet. We look back and wonder, did they learn everything? Did I leave a lasting impression? Did it work? Did we succeed? Did we fail? It is hard work being a teacher and with summer here, we can breathe and take account of all that happened. But I won't go on about that. I'd probably bore you to death with word wall philosophies and kidney versus horseshoe tables and time enough for recess and time enough for math and math centers and reading centers. I just want to share some of the funnier moments that stand out.  Toward the end of the year, I found an old writing tablet that was titled "Cursive Writing Tablet." I was clearing out and thought the boys could use it for drawings and things. It sat on the writing table and the boy...