We’ve taken that last walk down the long hallway from the furthest door to the bus lot.  I’ve given those last few squeezes, said my last good-byes, and waved as the buses drove them all away.  What the kids don’t know, as we scream and wave while they stick their little arms out the windows, is that we are probably more excited than they are that it is finally summer.

Teaching is so physically and emotionally exhausting, stressful, overwhelming, and often very thankless… and being able to step away from the classroom for about 2 months a year is the only way I survive it.  The school year comes with a lot of really late nights, a consistently full inbox, and a mind that just won’t stop swimming with thoughts of the kids, curriculum, papers that need to be graded, parents you need to talk to, it’s nonstop.  So to be able to rest for a while, it’s invaluable.  To be able to let your mind take a break, and catch up with friends that have been neglected, and doctor’s appointments that you’ve rescheduled time and time again.. it’s so, so needed.

So to my fellow teachers, enjoy your summer.  (Try to step away from it all.. though I know I will see you at some professional developments over the summer, or repin some of your pinterest finds, and like some of your classroom projects you’ll share on social media over the summer.)  Enjoy your margaritas tonight.  And know that you are appreciated for everything you do, and all that you sacrifice for children.