Summer's End

" One cannot collect all the beautiful seashells on the beach.

One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few."

- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

There are a good many reasons why I think I am lucky to be a teacher. Most of them are difficult to explain to others who are not educators because until you have actually witnessed a student move from confusion to mastery or from fear to courage or from insecurity to confidence the description of it sounds like a cheesy Lifetime movie. It is real though. Often is buried in months of repetition and patience...but it is real.  As a mom, being a teacher means I am grateful for the summer.  I love the time it allows me to spend with my family, but even before I had kids--- I loved the summer. 

Most people would think it is simply because I get the "time off."  While that is a part of it, it certainly isn't the most legitimate part. I am a worker by nature. I find a lot of joy in working. The thing I love about summer is that it is a part of the cycle. There is a concrete beginning and a concrete end to a school year. The summer comes and goes each year, but the real lesson for me has been in trying to master the cycle. How many people get a "do over" every year? Not just a professional "do over" but a "do over" of how time should be spent. In past years I have filled my summer with projects, classes, garage sales, camps for the kids, intense cleaning and organizing--- I have filled it with  BUSY. This summer I made a conscious decision to do something different.  I wanted to spend time observing instead of doing. It was time well spent.

While I was observing I noticed a lot of things:

* most problems can be solved in the quiet of my project room
* my kids love to be home in their pajamas...even at 2 PM
* life is more fun if you don't wear shoes all day
* laundry never ends... and that is OK
* C.J. still says "lellow" instead of "yellow"...and it melts me every time
* I have missed reading poetry and I am glad I re-discovered it
* my kids appreciate eye contact, in fact they deserve it when they are talking to me
* the best view in town is in my rear view mirror when all three of my kids are singing Jason Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem"
* Evie likes for me to snuggle her in the morning when she gets up and it is one of the last things that makes her little.
* I would rather listen to music than watch t.v.--- and so would my kids
* it is OK to not have a plan
* Grace is one of my favorite people to talk to and I miss her when she isn't home
* my backyard was a good purchase
* doing a puzzle with C.J. and Evie is more fun than whatever I thought I needed to do
* I spend too much time using the sweeper and not enough time making the messes
* time passes differently when you stop looking at the clock
* happiness is a choice

Seashells are more beautiful if you take the time to collect a few of them and study them. I tried to remember that this summer. Lindbergh preaches about the importance of observation in her book. I tried to collect the days of summer and study them for what they had to offer rather than fill them with all of the things I thought I should be doing. I am less prepared for this school year, but I am more refreshed than I have been in a long time.  I have to believe my students will benefit from that.

Who knows what the school year will bring, or next summer for that matter, but what I do know is that I will always appreciate the "do-over." I can't avoid the BUSY forever, but I gave it a hell of an effort his summer and it was worth every minute.

Genevieve

"Steady as a preacher, free as a weed."

This is Genevieve. At eight years old, she embodies this lyric by Lady Antebellum. Boundaries do not exist, she truly is as free as a weed. If possible she would never wear shoes, she prefers singing and dancing to talking and walking, and if we would let her, she would live outside.  While these qualities make her difficult to parent, they also make her a whole lot of fun.

We are a dance party family. From the time Evie was a baby we would hold living room dance parties. She and her sister would dance to Disney Princess songs. Then, we graduated to Miley Cyrus and High School Musical. Next was Taylor Swift. Now we live in the land of the ipod where songs switch from Katy Perry to Johnny Cash to Pink to... you get the picture. The dance parties have become more elaborate over the years. Often they require microphones (wooden spoons turned upside down), party shoes (high heels from my closet), and the occasional baseball cap turned backwards (for Run D.M.C. and Vanilla Ice---we kick it old school at times). The dance party generally happens after dinner while Bryan and I clear the dishes. Originally this got toddlers out from under our feet, but over the years it has turned into something the kids will barter for. Even C.J., who is three will ask "can we have dance party tonight, Mama?" My kids will do just about anything for a good dance party.  

It was no surprise that Evie wanted to share this ritual with her friends. We don't do birthday parties with friends, but we do allow parties. Evie knows this. One must be careful with the information one shares with Evie as it will come back to bite one in the butt. And so, "The Back to School Backyard Dance Party of 2011" came to be.

It grew too big for the living room. We had to pitch a party tent in the backyard. Then, we needed lights. Then balloons and feathers and glitter spray. The playlist (created by Evie on a piece of notebook paper) was over 35 songs strong. There would be pictures and snacks and hats and sunglasses and masks... and fun... lots and lots of fun. While I never would have predicted it, watching third graders dance under a tent filled with lights was a great way to end the summer. 

There were funny pictures with "Evie" style props...

There were moments that I will never forget. One of my favorites was when Evie played "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash and we tried to teach her friends how to do the "Virginia Reel."  The girls squealed and giggled as they tried to learn it and Evie was so proud to share this with her friends. She often surprises me though. After the song ended, and the next one started, and her friends were busy dancing, she came to me, quietly, and said "it is just more fun with the Schlaters, Mom." Then it was back to crazy dancing with her friends. She loves her friends... but she adores her family. That is the thing with Evie. She NEVER seems like she is paying attention... but she often understands the important things with more clarity than I do.

She reminds me everyday that FUN should be on my list. We all have lists, things to do, and responsibilities we can't avoid. For me,as a high school English teacher, August means going back to work and that brings anxiety. However, I have been so busy helping Evie plan and get ready for the "The Back to School Backyard Dance Party of 2011" that I haven't even worried about the start of the school year. It wasn't until after it was all over and she was in bed that I wondered if that is how she planned it. I wouldn't put it past her. After all, she is Genevieve.

The Back to School Backyard Dance Party of 2011

I highly recommend it.