We have just finished our mid year testing, and I feel like planning for a New Year can finally begin...maybe. As I was busily writing lesson plans for the new year the other day, I felt a strong need to stop and take a look back instead of immediately jumping forward. Pausing to ponder...I seem to want to do that a lot lately. In the blink of an eye, my boys have turned into teenagers. Oh how I now want to slow down time and savor every moment, but it seems that I have spent the last 16 years frantically checking off developmental milestones and anxiously fretting about what is next. When did I stop to look back and pause to ponder?
I recently wrote the following newsletter entry to my parents out of my need to pause.
Before we jump to the year ahead, take a few minutes to look back and celebrate all that your child has accomplished since the first day of kindergarten. It is almost hard to remember that first big day of school. Consider how your child has grown in the areas of independence, confidence, and responsibility. Smile at the thought of your child learning how to become a wise friend. Be amazed at how your child has learned so much more than the ABC’s and 123’s. Treasure these thoughts and this time in the life of your child. Look forward with a thankful heart to the new year ahead of us. Happy New Year!
Join me in this new year to find time to pause and ponder our many blessings.
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19
Yes, I officially have two weeks left of vacation, but my mind has already begun to drift back to the endless mental "To Do Lists" that I neatly tucked away in my school brain back in June. At the end of each summer, I never realize that I am thinking about school, but my dreams tell a different story. My sweet dreams become teacher nightmares. In the past, I have had dreams about chaos in my classroom -- especially children not coming out from under tables or someone running across the tops of tables. Countless dreams have involved waking up at 9:37 on a school morning, forgetting to go to school, or losing track of 22 kids. I have already had the dream where I take the day off, forget to call in a sub, and then spend the rest of the dream convincing myself that nobody will ever notice that I'm not there. All of the dreams have the same effect. I wake up with a jolt and immediately ask myself, "Did this really happen?...COULD this really happen?" In my sleepy state, I usually decide that I need to stay awake making a plan of action, just in case. I then decide to add the intricate details to my mental "To Do List." The same list that includes an entry that reminds me to ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF THE SUMMER.
