Spring Fever

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~Mark Twain

It seems as if the weather has gone from cold to hot with no in between. While I bask in the loveliness that this warm sun offers, I miss that stage where it's just a little chilly, gradually getting warmer during the day. Not wake up it's 80, goes to 90, then back to 80. WHOA. It is beautiful though. I can't complain. Hot leather in my car on the legs isn't fun, but not wearing a jacket and laying by the pool...totally worth it.

The sunshine must bring out the crazy in some of my students though. They have Mr. Twain's "Spring Fever" so bad they can't stand it! It never fails that every day I will hear one of my students ask in their sweet little I-want-something voice, "Can we PLEASE go outside???". It's one of the disadvantages of teaching high school students, no more recess. We should bring that back to high schools. Too bad they'd probably be behind the tree making out...gross.

With the sun also brings out sweet memories from my childhood. Coming home every day, kicking off hot shoes and putting on 'play clothes' and running outside. My childhood was spent outdoors with my sister and neighbors. Exploring the woods that bordered my house. Running, hiding, swinging, and discovering new 'hiding places' in the woods. I miss it dearly.

Maybe in honor of Mark I'll let my Spring Fever come out and go enjoy the sun once again. Run through the streets with a big happy smile on my face, glad the sun is here, glad the warmth is here, please don't go away!

Update

The "first year teacher count" is just about up. I have been at this gig for almost 9 months! I can't believe it! It's been a rollercoaster ride! Everyday still presents it's own set of challenges, I pray for sanity on a daily basis, but also try to take a lesson from each day I teach. I do this "take out" thing with my students. At the end of everyday they have to list one thing they've learned, I do the same thing. I try to "take out" one thing I've learned about myself or from them each day.

In non-job news, my life has been pretty normal. I had a wonderful Spring Break in California. Casey and I went to visit her sister in Santa Monica. Wonderful trip, beautiful weather. I'll make a separate post for that trip. I know I haven't been the best about keeping the blog up to date, I really have no excuses other than I just don't think about it! I'm working on it.

I'm looking forward to the end of the school year and to not be labeled as a 'first year teacher'. May is a busy month (it always seems to be) and I'm looking forward to making visits, see graduations, and then summer will be here!

Hope to keep this more updated!

A Life Worth Living

“Life is beautiful
But it’s complicated, we barely make it
We don’t need to understand
There are miracles, miracles….

Stand where you are
We let all these moments pass us by…

It’s amazing where I’m standing
There’s a lot that we can give
It’s just ours just for a moment
There’s a lot that we can give”
~Vega4

Consistency has never been a strong point in my life. I apologize to anyone that reads or checks in on this. You’ve probably long given up on an update of any sort. I would say that I’d try to get better at it, but I hold onto no promises. I will try…but, again, no promises.

The lyrics above are from a wonderful song I fell in love with a few years ago. I really love the words in the song. So many times I’ve looked around and noticed how beautiful life really is. But, like the song also says, it’s complicated. It’s the complications that sometimes get in our way of seeing how beautiful the world around us is.

I can’t say that I’m always a positive person. Or that I always see the “cup half full”. Sometimes, to me, it does look half empty. I think it would be silly for a person to say they’ve never had a pessimistic thought, a worry that eats at them, or a nag that just won’t go away. There have been many times that I’ve wanted a life remote that I can pause and fast forward and rewind to relive my favorite memories.

Alas, the life remote doesn’t exist. I think it’s that way for a reason. We can’t dwell in the past no more that we should plan so far ahead in the future. Life is beautiful and you have to live in the moment. A big part of American Lit is learning about Emerson and Thoreau. These two men believed in living in the moment. They encouraged people to live “a life worth living”. I live in the past, hope for the future, but I also have learned to look around me, smile, and enjoy the moment that is right around me.