21 years of vacation ...

Tomorrow begins year 21 in education for me!  Today I visited with new teachers in our district about Professional Development, our mentoring program and resources available to them.  I prepared a Google presentation with all the necessary links.  The last slide was a quote by Confucius that said, "Choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life."  And I said to them,  "Welcome to the next 30 years of vacation!"  And, we all laughed at the irony of that because teachers are never really on vacation, even during those three months in the summer.

Teachers are always thinking.  We are thinking about the upcoming year, thinking about ways to do things more effectively and well, better.   Even if our bodies are not in motion our brains just don't stop.  We will be on vacation and find the perfect thing to add to our ever-growing classroom decoration tubs.   And, don't even get me started about things we find at our local bookseller.  Contemplation should be our middle name.

So, after 20 years, going on 21, I can say that teaching is not an occupation, it's a lifestyle.  I'm not sure I would agree with Confucius about that whole vacation analogy... But, 20 years have flown by fast.  And isn't that what vacation is, something that goes by way too fast.

Happy School year to all!








        Last hoorah! before the school year begins.  Picture taken at
        Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas.