September Sundays

September is proving to be one heck of a month, in the best way possible.

Big moments always make me think back to where I was at the same time last year. So it’s natural that my 25th birthday brought back some tough memories of last year. I had been in Nashville for a little over 2 months, and while I loved the city and my new place, I was having a hard time adjusting to my new pace of life. My coworkers were great, but we were still in that awkward we-are-friends-because-we-have-no-other-choice phase. Confession: I woke up the morning of my birthday and cried my eyes out because I was alone, no one who really knows me there to celebrate. I spent that evening with two sweet friends – an old college roommate and a new co-worker – and I remember feeling a bit defeated that these were the only two people who cared enough about me to be there (in reality, it was a holiday weekend and everyone else had plans, like normal people. Drama queen.) Now, I realize how lucky I am to have an old friend nearby and a new friend who embraced me so quickly.

This year was quite the opposite. The happy hour crew generously proclaimed it my birthday weekend – dinner on Friday night at our favorite Thai restaurant plus drinks and cupcakes at a local taproom, a girls’ night out on Saturday, and a Sunday dinner and game night on my actual birthday, complete with appetizers, adult beverages, and a custom made “whooping stick”.

It was the kind of weekend that is so great that it makes the Sunday night blues (or Monday night blues on that particular holiday weekend) even more poignant. Although I’m in a much better place this year than I have ever been since my teaching career began, I felt much like I did on Sunday nights in Eastern North Carolina, with a sense of panic and fear gripping my mind and my heart. Only this time it wasn’t fear of children declaring mutiny or fists flying in class. It was a fear of losing this feeling of happiness buoyed by a lightness of heart and a freedom from responsibility.

I was able to stave off the blues last weekend, with the help of a visit from one of my best friends and "the girls", Jenna. An impromptu trip to Nashville (via plane, plane, cab, and bus - she's a champ!) made me one happy girl, because there's just nothing like friends from home. One of our favorite artists, Matt Wertz, was playing at a Nashville staple, the Exit/In, and Jenna joined me and two of my Nashville friends for an incredible show.

Jen stayed til Wednesday morning, which made my week so much easier to bear - knowing I'd have company two nights after work, and knowing I'd only have to bear a few days until the weekend when the sad day came for her to leave. It was a busy week at work, and the bar had been set high for weekends this month.

And don’t you know – this beautiful September weekend brought me that same peace, that same soul-refreshing happiness of the past two weekends, only without the dread that accompanied it two weeks ago.

Remember that lovely new friend who so kindly joined me for my birthday celebration last year, when I was still feeling vulnerable and lonely? She is now one of my closest friends in Nashville, and Friday night we celebrated the purchase of her brand new townhome in the suburbs with pizza, ice cream, wine, and cable TV (a luxury for me these days). And while Saturday required several hours of work, it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful days since I’ve been in Nashville, and I couldn’t help but take advantage of the weather. I broke up lessons plans with a visit to the farmer’s market, where Annie and I rented b-cycles and took an adventurous and hilarious ride to the downtown library.

Don’t be fooled by the tranquility of this picture. It was one heck of a bike ride, including uphill battles, roads under construction, and left turns on downtown streets. (Don’t worry dad, there were no cars on the road and we used hand signals.)

Before this weekend, I didn’t think I was ready for fall. Saturday’s clear blue sky and crisp air started to chip away at my summer reserve. An evening on the gorgeous patio of an East Nashville wine bar, with a nip in the air that required a fall wardrobe, got me that much closer. Three things this Sunday pushed me over the edge, into full bring-it-on-fall mode: my Creamy Pumpkin candle filling my condo with the scent of Thanksgiving, a chilly sunset on the roof, and dark red nail polish.

It’s the little things in life.

I can’t explain why I’m immune to the Sunday night blues this week. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there’s a lot to look forward to in the next few days – jeans day, Taylor Swift in concert, the Color Run, and a surprise schedule change that lightens my coverage load during my planning periods. Maybe it’s knowing that the end of this weekend is also bringing the beginning of a new season, and endless possibilities for fall activities. Or maybe it’s as superficial as the flickering Creamy Pumpkin candle in the background while I reminisce about my perfect weekend and look forward to picking up my new book when I get in bed tonight. Whatever it is, it is a welcome feeling.

Happy fall, y’all!

The First Month

A month to the day since I've last posted.

Grampy, I'm sorry. Forgive me. (You're probably the only one who's noticed.)

I'm sure it's obvious, but it's been crazy busy here since day 1, and I'm still not quite caught up on life yet. But I'll do my best to summarize what's been happening since I last wrote.

This year has brought some changes that have been both exciting and exhausting. I've moved into the role of "Lead Teacher", which sounds fancier than it actually is. It basically means that I'm doing much of the same thing I did last year, only this time I'm helping to develop another teacher in the process. My current teacher partner is a second year teacher who taught social studies last year. Needless to say, we have some work to do. While we are technically a team, there's a lot more responsibility on my end, and I spend a lot of time observing him in his classroom and live coaching.

The biggest change from last year was our decision to split kids instead of curriculum. Last year, my partner teacher (who moved up to 7th grade this year) taught half of the curriculum (focused more on algebra) and I taught the other half (focused more on geometry and ratios). We both taught all 100 kids, four different periods a day. This year, we've decided the best route is to split the kids instead of the curriculum, since every topic in math relates to each other in some way. This means that I only teach about 60 kids, but I teach almost twice the amount of lessons. Last year, I was planning 4 lessons a week - now, I'm up to 7. I have absolutely loved being able to focus on my 60 kids and get to know them really well, but the planning cycle is exhausting. My schedule is pretty crazy, too. To compensate for the increase in workload, we've been given more planning periods, but it also means every day looks different for me. It's been tough trying to keep up with when I teach, when I'm off, and when I have hall coverage periods, but it is definitely nice to know that I have more time to get work done a few days a week.

Our school leaders have also decided to do away with the typical "social studies" class and instead replace it with Global Literacy. While it's an exciting new addition to our curriculum, it also means we have to fit in "test prep" social studies skills somewhere, and that somewhere is every morning during our advisory/homeroom period. Which means on top of teaching math, leading a book club, and keeping up with the demands of our crazy schedule, I'm also a part time social studies teacher :). It's been an adjustment for sure, and while it's not ideal, I trust that our administrators made a decision based on what was best for our kids. I do often ask myself, though, at what point will it be enough?

There's so much more I could say, but like always, I've waited to long to say it, so I don't even know where to begin. I'll try to be better...but no promises.