Lessons to Learn

Our long-anticipated summer is here. In April, I made lists of things I wanted to accomplish during this break from school: clean out the garage, go through the closets—you know, those all-important tasks that I usually wait all year to do. But now my goals have changed. It took watching our grandchildren, Hadley and Hollis, playing with buckets and balls—dumping them from bucket to bucket, picking up strays, and doing it all over again—to make me think maybe the most important thing we can do for ourselves and children this summer is to schedule unstructured, nothing-planned time. 

With the season of school being so coordinated, and our lives being so scheduled, we quickly find that all of our time is organized and directed, with little time to just “be.”

Schedule lots of unscheduled time, or nothing-planned time, which is sure to re-energize you for the days to come. And if you need a few ideas of what to do during that time, here is my list:

• Read whatever you want, and lots of it. Adult books: novels and professional books. Children’s books: picture and chapter books. Magazines.
• Watch whatever you have been missing, and lots of it. Movies, TV series, documentaries.
• Talk to whomever you have been missing, and talk a lot.
• Sit and take in the everyday sights around you, and let your mind wander.

We know thoughts of school and improving your teaching craft are never far away. Along with everything else you are doing during the summer or during the year, be sure to fill yourself up with what you like best, whatever that is, and schedule some time to just “be.”