August Currently...and Time to Think About Back to School!

Sorry...I'm laughing at this post's title...as hubby often says, it probably takes me until mid August to get out of school mode...just in time to get back into it and ready for September!

For anyone who read my July Currently and post, the end result is that I was not successful in getting the new principal position at my school. I didn't realize how much I wanted it until I didn't get it...but, after a good cry, a few days of feeling sorry for myself, and some time spent with my 16-month old granddaughter, I turned my head around and started looking at what I will be doing for the fall. I have spent the past month working on new curriculums (to me), getting lots of "Back to School" things made and organized, like new labels, schedules, etc., and just trying to figure out what the new school year is going to look like...

Anyway, once again I am linking up to Farley's Currently over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 

 

Well, I don't think that there is much to explain here...the best part of my summer so far is any time I get to spend with my family...hubby, our son, our daughter and her family...so, hopefully I will get to do lots more of that before it is time to get back to work formally!

 

I hope that those of you still on summer break get the chance to enjoy your time to rejuvenate before the new school year begins...and for those of you already back to work, I hope that it has gone as smoothly as it can, and that you are enjoying a new year with your new class!

 

I look forward to sharing some pictures and thoughts for Back to School over the next month!

 

Take care,

Tammy

July Currently...and Happy Summer Break!

Wow! It's July 1st...already...where did the time go? I'm sure it was only a few days ago that I was doing the June Currently!

The last few weeks of school are usually pretty busy, chaotic, fun...and this year was no exception. However, throw in the retirement of our amazing Kindergarten teacher who had been teaching at our school for over 30 years (with a community bbq, our annual final day Celebration of Excellence, and our local teacher's union get-together), along with our guidance counsellor moving to a new school for next year, two EA's being laid off, and somehow, things were just that much more crazy! (Did I mention that I'm social fund person, so in charge of getting all gifts, etc.? lol)

The sad part is that, on my first day of summer break, I am feeling a little lost...not knowing what I should do to start planning for the new school year...oh well, give me a few days and maybe I will get into the summer groove!

Today I am linking up with Farley's Currently, over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 

Well, I think that most of these are pretty self-explanatory. The only thing that I would have to clarify would be the "Needing" section. If you include all the things that I talked about at the beginning of this blog, as well as report cards, a field trip the second last day with kids, and our staff wind-up, it went way beyond busy. You would think that would be enough...but no...we also just got the word yesterday morning (our last day) that our principal has accepted a new position in our division for September. She has only been at our school for two years, and at the time, I had also applied for the position (I was just finishing the Administrative Internship in our division)...so I have mixed feelings over this. I then received an e-mail from our Superintendent, along with several other candidates to see if there was interest in taking on the position in September. Because it is so late in the year now, they are looking at it being an interim position (until the end of December) so that they can advertise it in the fall. I could still apply for the permanent position as well...it was just a lot to think about...In the end, and after about 10 seconds of pondering, I immediately said yes, I was interested...lol...I didn't even discuss it with hubby! Now I just have to wait for another week or two to see who else responded and what the next step will be.

 



The other issue was what should I do in my classroom then? As I was trying to clean up, I just couldn't focus...was I cleaning up so that I was ready to teach there in September, or was I organizing so that someone else could come into the space and teach for a term? Should I be taking things out and storing them at home? Or do I just leave it as is?

So...how do I shut off my brain for the next while until this is all finalized? Hubby always says I need a 12 step program to get out of "school-mode" in the summer anyway...I suppose this forces me to sit back and do nothing...although I was getting a little antsy last night, thinking about typing up my finalized (possible) timetable...and class lists...and...oh my!

Well, I hope that your summer break is off to a better start than mine...Take some time for yourself! Relax, read a book (not a school one...but something that interests you, is fun, makes you smile, etc.), go see a movie on a weeknight, sleep in, visit with friends...whatever it takes to let yourself be that person you are when you aren't a teacher!

Take care,
Tammy

July Currently! (Thank goodness for summer!)

I know that I am not the only one wondering where this past school year went...although I have to admit that after the year I had, I am not that upset that it is done. Don't get me wrong - I loved my class, and the colleagues I worked with. However, between my cancer diagnosis and the beginning of my treatment, the passing of my dad this spring, and the loss of several people at school (through retirements, transfers and cutbacks), it has been one of the most emotional years I have gone through in a long time!

It's a good thing that Farley gives me that push to at least blog once a month, through her Currently linky over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 



I think most of these are pretty self-explanatory...but just in case you wanted to know about the car girl part of me, here's a picture of my "baby"!

 

Isn't she pretty?  :)  Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much time I will get to drive her around this summer with the top down...With my treatments, I am more susceptible to the sun. Oh well, maybe I will pull her out on cloudy days, and let the wind blow through my hair scarf  past my bald head...lol



As far as the rest of this summer is concerned, I still need to do some clean up in my classroom to find some space for another teacher to be able to co-teach in my room. I also have to figure out exactly what this co-teaching thing is going to look like. I will also be spending the next week at a conference, which will allow me to finish much of my Level 1: School Administrator's Certificate. Hopefully I can get most of these things done in the next 10 days or so, before the next chemo treatment (this will be a new chemo drug I'll be starting so I am hoping that I will make it through these final three treatments over the summer...). My goal will also include a huge stack of books to read through!

Anyway, I hope that your summer break is off to a great start, and that you are able to enjoy many of the things that there just doesn't seem to be time for during the rest of the school year!

Take care,

Tammy