Back to Busy

I sit in my lounge chair, sunshine warming my face and book in my hand. Lemonade sits beside me, as does Henry. When my eyes tired from reading, I turn my attention to my phone, browsing Pinterest and looking at adorable kittens. It’s ten a.m., and I have nothing to do today . . . which is just the way I like it. The rest of the day passes at my leisure; I choose where I go, what I do, and even do some OITNB binge watching.

Sigh. I miss those days already.

Summer is a time for sunshine and fun. If you’re a teacher, summer is a needed time for recharging. The transition back to fall, however…it’s tough. I’ve heard so many times that people just don’t understand how busy teachers are. Although I hate to jump on the complaint bandwagon, it’s true. Teaching is so much more than handing out worksheets and passing out books. It’s a chaotic, multi-tasking challenge to the extreme. It’s managing hundreds of people a day, trying to keep everyone happy, trying to handle unique situations, all while making sure they have the content knowledge. It’s handling emails, phone calls, and other paperwork while also trying to keep up with grading. It’s trying to be creative and invent new ways to engage students. It’s working well beyond the three pm bell. It’s so much more than many realize.

So, with the school year, I’m quite simply back to busy. It’s been an exhausting week of introductions and rules, of gauging where students are and trying to figure out where we’re going this year. It’s been stressful, difficult, exciting, and anxiety-filled . .. but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The next few months will probably be even more hectic than I can imagine. So if you see less blog posts, it isn’t because I’ve abandoned my blogging or my writing. It just means that I’m back to busy, back to teaching, and back to my first passion in life :)

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence