Today was the midpoint of this school year, a cold and dreary day. I heard on the radio this morning that we are gaining three minutes of sunlight each day as we move toward summer. It feels as though I am edging toward the sunshine of retirement with each of those three extra minutes a day.
Recently finished my final district Inventors Fair. (Check.) Tomorrow we are having a "Mini-Inventors Fair" for all of the third of fourth grade classes. (Check.) Each morning when my alarm rings and I crawl out of the nest of my bed, there is a part of me that marvels at the fact that before long I will be able to savor my coffee and enjoy the paper without having to rush out the door. By the time I get to school, however, those thoughts leave my mind and I focus on the task at hand. At least until my friend Diane in the office reminds me that a given day will be my "last first day back from break" or my "last second Tuesday in January" or some other milestone.
After doing some simple calculations a couple of weeks ago, I realized that, adding together my days as a student and my days as a teacher, I will have attended school in some form for around 10,000 days by the time I retire. Made me wonder how many of those days I was running late or stressed, but I hope that most of the days found me upbeat and motivating. Glad I didn't know that number at the beginning of my career, but it's odd how fast those days have flown and how the remaining 80-something days are flying past. The beginning of the year seems like yesterday, and, since we are in the middle, I guess the end isn't so far away either.
