For any of you out there with kids who have returned to school or those who teach or counsel from k-12 it's hard to believe summer is in the past and a new year is upon us. In all honesty, I was pretty ok with clinging to summer for a few more weeks. I love my job, but sun, family time, back yard grilling, sandy toes and seventy five degree ocean water with seriously beautiful swell were ingredients for serious perfection. It was a summer for the books.
But it already feels like we're in full gear as lunches are packed the night before, lesson plans are placed in their bags next to the front door and hands are scouring for the next day's outfit. It's a lot of multi-living that often can catch us off guard even when, in reality, we all knew it was coming.
I really enjoy my job. Every day is something new, unpredictable and challenging. I love it. But as I enter year eleven at Seneca it seems insane how quickly the time has flown and how many kids have walked the hallways and are now in the really world. Each year there are new faces, smiles and hearts.
As some already talk of Christmas Break and June I shake my head and think, live in the now, embrace the next 180 days ahead of you. A question I have is, "what are your goals for the next school year?" Have you considered, "how am I going to make the most of the next ten months? what are my plans to make that happen?"
So often we look ahead and look behind, but are incapable of being content and settled with the present. The present slips through our fingertips and memories, opportunities that do impact our future are easily overlooked.
Take a few minutes and ask your kids what they hope to get out of the year. Do they want to play a new sport? Learn a new instrument? Expand their friend circle? Maybe it's taking that step and speaking up more in class or getting more involved with a local charity.
What about you as either a teacher or parent? What do you want out of the next 180 school days? It may sound lame, but I'm sure you can agree with me that the years fly by. We can easily lose grasp of opportunity for self improvement and challenge wishing for the next break or weekend. But my hope is that we'll embrace the now and allow the 2014-2015 school year to end with our hearts a little softer, our eyes a little more receptive and our desires to really live seem a little fuller.
Be the dream, baby.
