I have officially finished my first year of teaching. Many first year teachers have horror stories to report or novels to write about their first years. I can honestly say that I didn't have enough drama to fill a novel, I'm not even sure that I have enough drama to fill a blog post... The fact that I had such a smooth year is due undoubtedly to the fact that I work with some of the most supportive people I have ever met. The staff at my school is friendly and out-going. They make non-pc jokes in the teachers' lounge and pop into my classroom before school, after school, and even during our day, to check in, say hi, and otherwise just be friendly. I have come to love my school almost as much as I have always loved my dear friends.

As as start writing the largest writing project of my life (likely), my capstone for my Masters degree, I cannot help but appreciate the "view from here." I'm not carrying any classroom baggage, I'm not worried about having a position next year, I'm not stressing out about the fact that I will be completing my "action research" in the fall while I will also be setting up a classroom and building a new community of learners. My teaching community is already solid. Thank god.

My first day of summer dawned with breakfast in bed (thank you, husband) and a to-do list longer than my dog's tail. A teacher's summer is not margarita's and barcaloungers, as my husband sometimes jokes. This summer I'm teaching an environmental science class to middle schoolers, I'm writing the first three chapters of my Masters capstone, I'm doing Responsive Classroom training, as well as ProjectWild training through the MN DNR. I hope I can get in some camping and strawberry picking as well as bread baking and friend visiting. But mostly, I already can't wait to get back to my teaching community, and I think that's rare. I'm in love with my craft.