Category: family

When I was in elementary school my grandpa, a retired principal, would drive from Lynnwood to Anacortes to volunteer  in my  or my brothers’ classrooms once a week. I find this pretty amazing that he was committed to spending that time with us at our school. I remember talking with him at recess with my friends and he was always interested in our lives and easy to talk to.

After volunteering at Fidalgo for a number of years, and all us kids had left the building, he decided to move to a classroom closer to his own home. When I got a teaching job I asked him a number of times to spend some of his time in my room, but he always declined saying that he thought he might be too much of a boss in my room.

This year I’ve admitted to having a  tad bit of the Back to School Blues, but I recently found out that my grandfather has decided to no longer volunteer his time at the school he has most recently been at. I wonder if he has Back to School Blues, but he can’t feel too bad because he has a lot to teach Maggie…

Today lots of my very favorite people went back to school. They sat in meetings all day and prepared for next week when all the kiddos show up with their sparkly backpacks and sharpened pencils. I spent today watching the raindrops hit the ground wondering if Summer really is over. I keep waiting for the strangeness to hit me and to feel the urge to go to school and ready my classroom.

Instead today I felt comfort and joy in my daughter’s yummy smelling breath and chubby legs. I sipped on my tea and listened to her practice her new noises and felt contentment.

One of my very favorite things about teaching is the freshness that each year brings and seeing former students come back with bright, bright smiles – happy to return to the routine of school and familiar faces.  I’m going to miss those faces and those of my friends who also happen to be coworkers.

Right now, though, I’m feeling just fine and dandy being at home with Maggie and the freshness that she brings to our home each day.