Sunday, June 19, 2011

My First (FUN) Summer Adventure

Many people think teachers have it super easy; we work for 9 months and then get 3 months off to lounge by the pool, eating bon bons and drinking iced tea. Oh dear readers, how I wish that were true! I have a pool, love bon bons and think iced tea is divine and yet I have not indulged in any of those things during the first two weeks of our summer break. Instead, I've attended a conference about Total Instructional Alignment in Pocatello and begun work on vertically aligning the social studies curriculum for our district. 

Well I'm about to have my first summer adventure that could potentially fall into the "fun" category. Tomorrow I, along with 7 of my students, will be jetting off to our nation's capitol for five days full of sight-seeing, exploring and learning how our great nation was formed. Some of you know that I lived and worked in DC for a time after I graduated from college and that I loved every second of it. I'm thrilled to get back and to share my love of the city with my students, many of whom will be studying American history next year. All of the sights and sounds they take in will be even more meaningful when we get back into the classroom and really start diving into the foundations of America.

While I'm totally stoked to be taking the kids on this trip because I think every child should visit Washington, D.C., I'm exhausted by the herculean effort it's going to take to keep my darling dearests in their "happy" place. "What do you mean I can't take my computer?" "What do you mean we have to get up at 6?" Oh the joys of traveling with 13 year olds. Parents, how do you do it and come home with the same number of kids you left with? I'm impressed!

Anyway, I'll post pictures when we return. Enjoy your week; try to find some time to lay by a  pool, overdose on chocolate and sip on some iced tea. But if you do, don't rub my face in it!