Summer has always been my favorite season. I am a hot weather gal. I love the heat. I would thrive in any warm, humid and tropical weather place. I do not like air conditioning -never have, never will :)
Many in education use the summer as a time of relaxation, a time to renew and catch up on things that might not get done during the school year. It is a time to take a class to learn more about something related to what your area in education is or something unrelated but of interest to you. In Wisconsin, to keep your job, we are required to keep our teaching licenses renewed. There are new requirements for the recent teaching graduates but I must take 6 education college credits every 5 years. Teachers often have summer jobs by necessity. Some teachers teach summer school and also take the opportunity to keep getting smarter and better at teaching. I make a bit of extra income year round by creating and updating websites and fixing computers for co-workers, friends and strangers.
Computers and technology are never far from my thoughts or fingertips. I have found new contacts on facebook, watched youtube videos, listened to pandora radio, searched for great recipes, read the news, bought and sold on ebay, blogged and twittered on the computer. These last few summers I have taken the opportunity to do my required professional development for my computer teaching job. I take advantage of summer to teach myself technology and computer programs that I will be using in my teaching. During the school year it is a very busy time with much more "doing" and less learning on my part.
So this summer...
This summer has been a glorious one so far. Our family went to see an outdoor theater performance on a glorious summer day of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream" at American Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin. I have had the pleasure of kayaking with my daughter on quiet water just minutes away from our house. I have been reading for pleasure, fantastic books that I don't take the time to read during the school year. My garden with tomatoes, peas, green beans, patty pan squash, strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, herbs and flowers is thriving. I take pleasure in weeding and watering and watching it grow. I have been biking around on country roads around our home. In a few weeks I will be sending my daughter off on a river kayaking adventure for 14 days through girl scouts. Since before our kids came along, more than 20 years, my husband, our dog and I are going camping together in northern Wisconsin. We plan on fishing from kayaks, going on walks, relaxing by the campfire and just hanging together. Our sons have been attending college at UW La Crosse, about 2 hours from our house. This is the first summer that they have not lived at home. They have a fuel efficient car and can come back for weekend visits occassionally. They are taking a break from classes this summer and are fortunate to be employed and working hard for the university computer & network services. Our household is quieter and I look forward to their visits.
The one constant in life is that things are always changing. In a short time the temperatures will be cooler. The days will get shorter. The leaves will be changing color. The fruits and vegetables will be ready to harvest. It will be time to go back to school and I will be ready.
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