Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Putting A Crimp In My Style

When I was in elementary school, I DREADED going back to school.  Once I was there, I was fine, but those weeks of anticipation, with the commercials for the back to school sales used to get me so worked up.

And they still do, for the same reason.

It's not that I was afraid of school or didn't like school or feared being a failure. It was, and always will be, the change in routine.  I love routines.  I love schedules. It makes sense that once I am in the groove of the school routine, all is well.

But, I've been going back to school for almost my whole life.  Elementary school, high school, college, and right into teaching.  Each summer, I resent having to go back to school.  Because it puts a total crimp in my style. 

I have a summer routine.  I have priorities. 

I have vegetables to grow.

I have grass to cut.

I have blogging to do.

I have all those projects to complete that I save for all that "time" I have in the summer.

I have blogging to do.  Oh yeah, that's not just a summer thing.

I have a hammock to relax in.

I have books to read.

I have projects to complete- did I already say that?

I have amazing lessons to conjure up in my head.

I have after school activities to dream up.

So today, when I have to go back for the first of 4 teacher professional days before the students start, I am full of annoyance that I have to be somewhere by 8:30 and I have to sit still for 6+ hours.

That's the hardest part- sitting still after a summer on the move.  Imagine an auditorium full of mostly women who have been moving about at will for most of the summer now sitting still for 2+ hours in a row, without a bathroom break. 

Or maybe it's not having AC in our school and it's raining and humid today and I will be soaked for 6+ hours and have to be pleasant to my neighbor.

And when you're thinking "hmm must be nice to just sit around all summer.  You have no right to complain about going back to work" you're right about part 2 but you couldn't be more wrong about part 1.  Spend a day with me in the summer.  You'll never keep up.  I'm in, I'm out, I'm up, I'm down, I'm wet, I'm dry,  I'm dirty, I'm clean.  And that's all before 8:30am!

And who am I am kidding? I'm never clean in the summer and rarely dry.

I can't help hearing that stupid K-Mart commercial that used to play the jaws the theme and the guy said "Just when you thought you were safe from reading and writing and rithmetic, it's time to go back to school...."

Or the Welcome to Pooh Corner song that swam in my head for an entire week before school one year in elementary school as I dreaded going back "Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, chubby little cub, all stuffed with fluff, he's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, willy, nilly, silly oh bear..."  there's more, but I'm shuddering right now that I still remember it all.

And what do I really dread the most?

Stinking Uggs.  I'm not kidding.  Uggs might literally break or make my career.

Linking up here.

3 comments:

  1. My mother used to start saying on the Fourth of July that summer was almost over. It drove me crazy! I still hate the back to school commercials. I like summer!

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  2. I feel for you because I adore summer. The best and worst part of teaching must be the summer off. I really do sympathize with the shifting of routine and having to jump back into a job where basically every day is a performance. Ellen

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  3. I'm with you! I am far from being a fan of back to school. The only time I was ever excited was that first summer before I started my first teaching job. After that, bummed.

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