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Summer

It's summer!  I don't have to wake up at 5:30 (although unfortunately, I still do)!  So how have I spent my first week of vacation?  On Monday, I met my best friend and colleague at Starbucks to work on revising our Essential Learning Outcomes and create formative assessments for each one!  I loved every second (yes, I know I am weird).  In four hours,. we accomplished so much.  It was especially nice to do this right after school got out, when the year was still fresh in our minds.  On Tuesday, I attended our district's Achievement Summit. This was a day well-spent.  Several teachers from my school, as well as our amazing principal, attended.  The last hour was spent setting goals and brainstorming ideas for the upcoming school year.  Wednesday, I met my best friend and colleague at Starbucks again to continue our work from Monday. Thursday I had to meet with administration about the master schedule. In between all of this, I have been working to update my webpage.  I also decided to create a blog for each of my classes. Jen Roberts, an English teacher at Point Loma High School, was my inspiration.  Each day I will "blog" about what we did in class that day, as well as include handouts, important links, and necessary pictures.  I am so excited.  Not only does it look great, it is much more kid-friendly.  I can't wait to hear what my students think about it.

 If you have read any of my other blog posts, you know that teaching is my passion, not just my job. I love summer, not just because I don't have to get up early, but because I so enjoy preparing for the upcoming school year.  Regardless of how long I've been teaching, there is always room for improvement.  I want my students to have a worthwhile, engaging experience with me.

 What else do I have planned this summer? Spending time with my family, of course. My oldest is going away to college in the fall.  My middle son is  a sophomore, and my youngest is in middle-school.  Hopefully I can still get them to go to the beach with me!  We will be going to our favorite place in the world in July-Lake Tahoe-for a baseball tournament. I am catching up on my pleasure reading and am currently reading The Rosie Project; it's delightful. I go to the gym whenever I please and have even gone on a few bike rides around the lake.  Oh, and I am meeting my best friend and colleague at Starbucks tomorrow to do more work. :)  Happy Summer!

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