Back to the game

Sigh. I guess it's time to close up shop from another greatly cherished and much needed Christmas break. I actually wrote a longer post this morning, but hesitated to publish it, perhaps because I said more than I should professionally say as a teacher. So I will try to condense it and sum it up in this late afternoon post instead.

I will miss sleeping in an extra hour or so each morning, but I'm thankful I still got up before 7 most days so my body doesn't go into total shock tomorrow morning. My boys might be a different story, though. They might be walking around like zombies until at least 9 or 10 o'clock. At least soccer practice kept them somewhat busy and off the couch these last two weeks.

Normally by now, after two full weeks off, I'm getting a little excited to see my little ones again at school, but I'm bracing myself this year for a lot of tears  this week. If I remember right, this is the group that cried and sobbed through the entire first two weeks of school. Some years they come back more alive and mature after Christmas break, but I don't know what to expect from this group. They've been quite a bit more taxing on me than other years, but here's to hoping we have a successful and enjoyable second semester.

I'm looking forward to allowing my word for 2017--FOCUS-- help me navigate through a bunch of scatteredness so I can find some direction and get all my kids moving on that track. To be completely honest, it is the scatteredness of my job this year that has most-likely given me such a need for FOCUS. New programs, new initiatives, new ideas, new curriculums, new books, new materials--they're all great. But not so much when none of them seem to connect or work together. I struggle to know where to put my attention from one day to the next, when all I really want to do is just teach my kids in the way that I know will prepare them adequately for kindergarten.  All the experimenting with new stuff, schedules, ideas, programs, curriculum, and plans just keeps them as unsettled and unfamiliar as it keeps me.

It feels like I'm playing a game, trying to figure out who it is I need to please today. Who's watching today so I can make sure I have the right hat on. All are good initiatives on their own and have been well-thought through, but they don't all work together, and that's the issue.

So, here we go, back to this game we call school. Here's to hoping I can find a focal area and get all my kids moving at least in that same direction.

Ha! Prayers, please.