When I was twelve, I had the most amazing English teacher. He was funny. He kept his college ID on the wall to remind us that he used to be young. He got to know each of his students. He incorporated independent reading and writer’s workshops into his grammar lessons. And the grammar lessons! He wrote a book titled Mr. Ecc’s Guide to Pretty Good Grammer. The lessons in it included our names in the sentences! He made seventh graders love grammar work! Because he knew I loved the Baby-Sitter’s Club and Sweet Valley Twins, he recommended the Little House books, which I would have otherwise overlooked. When I entered his class, I knew that I wanted to be an English teacher when I grew up. How lucky am to not only know at a young age what I wanted to do with my life, I actually made it happen?
I honestly love the being a teacher. The fact that I spend my days reading and writing is better than anything I can imagine! When my son was born, I also learned to love having time off with him. It’s the best of both worlds; I get a rewarding career that I genuinely love and I get two months home with my son.
I can honestly say that this has been my favorite summer with Liam. He and I have great conversations. We joke, sing, and make up games on the fly. We go for walks and engage in great talks. He is so good at starting and maintaining conversations. Traveling with him is so much easier than it was a few years ago. When he asked to go to a local amusement park, I was able to put my phone, cash, and keys in my pockets and go. We have gone on all sorts of adventures: a week at the beach house, camping trips, hikes, s’mores on the fire, visiting local landmarks. As a reward for reading, the local library gave him a book of passes to local attractions. Our goal is to use them all. Here are a few of our favorite trips using library passes:
Audubon Society
The Breakers
Save the Bay Aquarium
The last week of summer is always bittersweet. My first projects are planned. The icebreakers and first-week activities are ready to go. I am excited to go in this week and set up my classroom. I love the idea of new beginnings and a new year! It also means the end of lazy days in the backyard and adventures. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am to have this time with Liam.
My plan for this week is to jam as many activities as possible. I will spend a day at school setting up. (Liam LOVES setting up my classroom with me!) We haven’t made it to the Boston Museum of Science, so we will do that Friday with Mike. I am excited for one last beach day, a few playground visits, and some end of summer adventures. He and I are both excited to start the new year.
World's Okayest Runner 