We spent the weekend at Shenandoah National Park, which was the first time we've stayed there overnight, despite it really not being very far from our house!
We drove to the park after school on Friday and the weather was not particularly great. We checked in to Big Meadows Lodge, got settled, and other than a short break in the weather, hung out in our room avoiding the rain. It was actually really nice to have a quiet, relaxing evening! There was no wifi in the room, and we had very spotty cell service, but I'm not complaining; sometimes it's nice to be a little off the grid, so to speak!
Saturday started off cloudy, but then the sun broke through for a few hours in the morning, which made for great hiking weather. By noon, though, the mist and clouds returned, but that just meant that we saw very few people on our afternoon hike, which was more than fine by me!
We had dinner at the lodge, during which time the sky cleared again, so we decided to drive to one of the lookout points to watch the sunset, which was a great end to the day. We also saw many deer and a black bear, which was pretty awesome, and we loved that is was definitely feeling like autumn. After we got back to our room, we sat out on our little balcony to star gaze after it got really dark, and we each managed to see a shooting star, which will never get old for me.
We were up early to come home today because I had a lot of school work to do, so it was a quick little trip, but it was so nice to get away!
We've lived at our house for over 18 years and we've never visited Price William Forest Park! We recently purchased a National Parks Pass for some planned travel over the next year, and we decided to use it today.
What a lovely place! Ginny was nervous to be in unfamiliar territory, which is very typical for her, but I do think she ended up having a good time! We didn't see many other people, even though most of the parking lots were full, so I was relieved about that because I still have no interest in interacting with anyone!
The weather was absolutely perfect! It was a beautiful fall day...sunny and cool, with a crispness in the air that gave me hope summer is actually finally over!
I loved how quiet and peaceful it was and so happy it turned out to be a fantastic morning! We will definitely be back, as I'm sure when the leaves change, it will be amazing!
I love teachers. LOVE them. As I work toward the finish line of this Ph.D., it has become crystal clear to me that my professional passion is teachers. I want to do any and everything I can to support them. This unusual start to the school year has shown me once again how incredible teachers are.
Every spring there are always posts and memes about "There's no 'tired' like end-of-year-teacher tired!" and every spring I roll my eyes at that claim.
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, I can always see the light at the end of tunnel in the spring. The excitement about summer break keeps me going, even through the stress of testing and wrapping up the school year. By spring each year, my classroom was running like a well-oiled machine; I knew my kids and they knew me and we had a rapport that made things easy.
Sounds nice, right?
Well that is decidedly NOT the case in the fall! There's a to-do list that gets two items added to it for every one item that's crossed off. After spending a week setting up my room and another week in back-to-school meetings, it was finally time to meet the kids and by the end of the first week with them, I was spent. Getting to know them as people and as students, teaching them daily routines, setting the expectations, reassuring them that it's going to be a great year, and convincing myself of the same. I was always in a state of uneasiness for the first part of the year, constantly questioning if we'd have enough time to do everything we needed to do, if I'd be able to prepare them for the challenges they'd face in middle school, and if they would feel safe and loved when they were with me.
It was exhausting. Completely and utterly exhausting.
Now that I'm no longer a classroom teacher, things are different; distance learning has made things very different.
Even so, as I sit here on the Friday night of the first officially week of school, I am exhausted.
But I am NOWHERE NEAR as tired as the amazing teachers I work with. I've watched them for the past four weeks toil endlessly to prepare and plan for the unknown. I've seen them persevere through issues and uncertainties – technology or otherwise – while remaining calm and steady for their students. They are being questioned and scrutinized at every turn and that alone would be enough to break some people's spirits. But not these teachers! Their optimism and positivity is absolutely inspiring!
I know they are exhausted beyond words tonight. It has been a very long week and they've earned this weekend break a million times over. I hope they know that they're irreplaceable and that what they do – showing up each day for their students and giving everything they have to making a difference in their students' lives – does not go unnoticed.
So I will continue to disagree about the so-called "end-of-the-year tired."
There's no tired like beginning-of-the-year tired - especially this year!
It is no secret that Ginny is a very nervous dog when she is anywhere that is not her house or her car. I don't know why. I cannot explain it. She has been showered with loved and spoiled beyond any degree of reasonableness for her almost-eleven years with us. I don't get it! We just accepted this about her many years ago and are mindful of this when we take her anywhere.
Well, you may remember that I was worried about Ginny having separation anxiety when I returned to work because she'd grown so attached to me over the quarantine. The school year started for me on August 17, and I've been at school most days. While I am still worried about the possibility of contracting the virus and passing it on to my mom, I'm very careful about hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask, and generally speaking, there aren't many people in the building on any given day. Just as others have had to make decisions based on what what works best for their particular situations, I've given a lot of serious thought to whether I should work from home or from my office. I ultimately decided that whenever possible, I'm going to work from my office at school. There are three main reasons for this: 1) all of the reading resources are at school and since I'll be working with different grade levels throughout the day, it will be easier to quickly access any needed materials if I'm in the building; 2) my mom shouldn't feel like she needs to tiptoe around the house every day and not make any noise and I don't think it's fair to expect her to do anything of the sort; and 3) I'm hoping it will be easier to identify the line between work and home, which has not always been easy over these past six months.
All of that being said, I had overestimated the separation anxiety Ginny would experience with me not being home. She's got my mom with her throughout the day and C is home as well, and although he is in the basement working all day, she does get to see him whenever he comes up to the kitchen for a snack or drink. So while she definitely misses me, she's doing just fine.
However, I am a different story! I seriously UNDERestimated the separation anxiety I would experience with me not being at home! I have missed her something awful every day I've been at school! Schools without students in them always feel like weird, abandoned buildings to me, but now, with so few other adults in the building, and the ones who are there being in their rooms with the doors closed (because that's the only time we're allowed to have our masks off)? So bizarre! It's a weird, eerie, lonely place!
A few days ago, I decided to bring Ginny to school with me for a few hours; it was the day before the long Labor Day weekend and I was excited about the thought of her hanging out in my office with me.
I'll be honest. It was a failed experiment. She was so nervous the entire time! Panting and pacing around until I put her bed up on my desk so she was beside my computer, which is where she spends her days when I'm working from home - up on the dining room table beside me. That helped a little, but overall, it was not a good morning. The plan was for C to pick her up when he brought me lunch, and when the time came, I don't know who was more relieved to see him - Ginny or me! I felt terrible about putting her through a stressful situation just because I was lonely at school! Clearly I've grown even more attached to her since mid-March than I'd realized!
her head popped up every time she heard a sound
at one point she finally feel asleep on the floor (she's partially under my desk!)
one of us is happy she's at school
Lesson learned! Ginny will be staying at home and I will be working at school and we'll just have to make the most of our time together at home!
she was so relieved when it was time for her to go home!
