The Grasshoppers in My Stomach are Telling Me It's Time. BTS 2016

You'd think I'd have this Back-to-Thing down. After all, I've been teaching since the age of dinosaurs. Well, maybe not that long, but let's just say that "Internet" wasn't a thing yet when I entered my first classroom.  Despite the number of years, I still get the familiar grasshoppers in my stomach at the thought of back-to-school. (No, not butterflies. These things eat butterflies for lunch.)

It starts (way too early -- July?!  Really?!) when I see the bulging bins of school supplies as I stroll through the aisles of Target. I happily ignore them, of course. I have time.

Then I start getting the emails. When I bother checking school email during the summer, I see lots of spam (does Oriental Trading Company know it's summer break? apparently not), which I happily delete. (Why let it pile up?)  In about the 3rd week of July, it starts to hit. The real emails. In-service schedules.  New protocols. New testing. Joy.

I begin to face the reality then. It's here. And I'm not ready. I haven't spent the summer finishing the inventory in the library or cleaning out the files my office. In fact, I didn't even think about my library.

I spent the first couple of weeks binge watching Haven on Netflix. Then there was the TpT Orlando conference (magical!). And Harry Potter World (so AWESOME)! I spent the next few weeks on the computer, happily revising resources I had created three years ago, putting my knowledge about creating covers and thumbnails to work.  Summer just sort of slipped away.

Suddenly I find myself on my computer, getting ready to plan my year. (OK fine so I'm procrastinating.) What will we accomplish in the library this year?

Of course, I will inspire young children to read! I will introduce them to new people and set them on their paths to all sorts of amazing adventures. Just HOW will I do that, you ask?  I don't know, yet. That part will come.

First, I'm going to sit in the garden with my cup of coffee and enjoy what's left of summer. I can keep the grasshoppers at bay for another day.