Summers off

Being a teacher has its amazing positives. "Summers off" is a big one. I put that in quotations because I know that teachers never really get summers off. There are the meetings, the extensive coursework required to maintain licensure, and the additional school related things that fill the down time.

The opportunity to spend the summer months with my boys is not lost on me. I enjoyed every moment this summer even more than I could have imagined. I don't know if it is the boys' ages, that they are more interactive, or that the new house and yard have allotted us more space to be free. I do know that I cannot bear the thought of my impending return to work.

I rarely talk about my work, but it truly is my passion. I enjoy teaching music to children, and I enjoy imparting my love of music to them. Seeing a kid play their first note on their instrument, and hearing their final concert at the end of the year and knowing I taught them how to play gives me an amazing feeling. Watching my first graders faces when they realize they just sang a song that they read off the staff is priceless. Seeing my kindergarten students "graduate" to middle school is a wonderful and heartbreaking thing. It is impossible to believe time moves so fast, and the connections I make with my students is as if they are my own.

So I am dreading my return to work in a little over a week. Not because it doesn't inspire me to teach my students, but because I miss my own two boys so dearly. I think the amazing progress they have made this summer has compounded this feeling. I know that they enjoy being in their"class," have their "friends" and love their teacher, but being without them during the day almost feels as if I travel through my day without a limb. Or a piece of my soul.

I'm trying to savor the last few days.