Amazing A1

Photo cred. Heidi Pumphrey
Chatham Sweet Corn Festival

This girl. This girl amazes me and I don't give her enough credit. I sometimes get too stuck in the role of overbearing and possibly too critical mom that I forget to appreciate A1 for the hardworking and driven young lady she is.  This girl is one of the busiest people I know, trust me, I drive her.

She spent her whole weekend doing what she loves; dancing and performing. I never heard her complain one time (ok, that might not be true. She did complain a little Saturday night when we were going over her schedule for the next day, but she bounced back fast!). It is what drives her. 

I have seen her learn a dance minutes before a performance. I have seen her learn a dance while she was performing. (That was a little intense, but she made it through and she learned that she can do anything she puts her mind to doing.)  I have seen her learn a dance from watching a video and then go on to perform the dance. Her passion and talent amaze me. 

I wish I could take credit for her talent, but anyone who knows me knows that just isn't the case. I am the one who trips on painted lines. I wish I could take credit for her desire to be busy, but I have a need for doing NOTHING. Sitting in a quiet space and enjoying every quiet minute is what charges me. She has a natural talent and passion that drives her. She has had phenomenal teachers along the way; ones that know when to push, when to wait, when to be hard, when to be soft, when to make something a learning moment, and when to let things go. 

Last night before she went to bed we went over the schedule for today. I was a little nervous because it was one activity after another (actually it was one activity on top of another. She had her next thing start before the last one ended) she has handled it like an adult. She had her bag packed and even set an alarm to get up when she needed to get up.

Her schedule for the day:

10:30-11:35 SDT rehearsal

12-1:30 SBC Trainee

1:30-4:00 SDT performance

3:00-6:00 Incredibles choreography assistant 

6:50-10:00 Muni rehearsal

By the time the day is over, she will have eaten three meals in the car today and has changed her clothes in the car three times. (Thank goodness for tinted windows and friends who hold up blankets!) I am so proud of this girl

End of the Year Roller Coaster

It is the end of the school year, so naturally, I am suffering from End of the School Year Blues. It is that time when Manic May gets the best of me and I am riding front row on an emotional roller coaster without a seat belt.

May has become an emotionally confusing time for me. The entire month is go, go, go. We rush from one this to the next. I rarely have time to process all the emotions that range from one extreme to the other. I need time to process the emotions.

A part of me is excited and happy about summer. I get to spend all day, every day with the most entertaining people I know; the A Team. We get to have adventures every day; play, stay up late, catch lightning bugs, paint, make messes, watch movies, read books, play games, and learn new tricks. I love spending time with the girls. Summers with the girls is a huge perk of my job!

Even with the excitement of spending time with the girls, there is still a part of me that is always sad at the end of a school year. I hate saying goodbyes, especially when I am saying goodbye to a great group of kids and parents. It is always hard for me to let go of these young people who I have invested so much time and energy. Lucky for me that I will get to follow some of these people next year when they on to 6th grade! Not only is it hard to say goodbye to students, but it is also hard to say bye to my friends. The people I have been in the trenches with for months. The adults who I have bonded with and shared happiness, sadness, and frustration with on a daily basis. It is hard to go from seeing your friends every day to only seeing them a couple times in 2.5 months.

The biggest reason I get sad at the end of the year is that it marks the passing of time. In 2 days I will be finished with my 15th year of teaching. What?!? It is hard to believe that I have already spent that many years teaching and it is hard to believe I still have a ton of years to go. This year is an especially hard year because it is a milestone year. A1 is leaving elementary school and moving on to intermediate school. How can my little baby really be old enough to be in 5th grade? It can't be possible!

Sweet First Day of Kindergarten A1

Mature Last Day of School A1

My emotions should level out the beginning of the second week of June, so if you need anything from me, you should probably wait until then.