Honey Do List

I was cleaning out my desk last week before locking it up for the summer when I came across a little clipping from our monthly wellness newsletter that I had stowed away there several years ago and forgotten ever since. List 20 things that you love to do that generate feelings of joy and vitality for you, it read. Try to do these things within one month. I could see why I might cut out such a thing, and I stuck it in my writing notebook and continued tidying up.

The occasion of my birthday seemed like the perfect time to do the exercise, and so before anyone else got up this morning, I took my coffee and notebook out to the back patio and sat down to make my list.

Ride my bike, I started. Hike in Maine. Eat lobster, Work in the garden; Have fresh-picked sliced tomatoes for dinner. Read outside, drink iced tea and lemonade. Learn something, go some place new, visit a museum. Play my ukulele, build a fire, grill steaks and corn on the cob. Hunt for sea glass and smooth rocks, catch fireflies, let them go, have a water balloon fight, walk to go out for dinner, go to the movies. Listen to jazz records, go swimming, drink beer.

I paused to regard my list-- this was going to be a cinch!

Then I wondered. Am I cheating or am I charmed?

I think it's pretty clear.

Triptik

I was never actually a member of AAA, but I do remember being extremely impressed by the "triptik" one of my college friends, who did belong, acquired before a road trip. Spiral bound at the top, the 4 x 11 custom organizer had section by section directions for our trip with the route helpfully highlighted in neon pink. On either side of the road map, there were tips for the traveler on local interests. When the AAA agent handed us our packet, accompanied by all the appropriate full regional maps, I nearly swooned at its cogent plenitude.

Flash forward 30+ years when we all carry computers in our pockets, and I will tell you that I was quite pleased with the route to Buffalo that my phone chose for us today. Highlighted turn-by-turn in a strong royal blue, we were even able to find a quick drive-around when we hit a little back-up due to construction. Oh, I could have searched for local attractions, but I was too busy enjoying the forests and mountains and scenic little towns that presented themselves along away.

Along the way, though, I did pause to appreciate those  AAA agents of yore with their amazing triptik system who were able to accomplish much the same thing, long before the internet was a thing.

Empty Nest

So, today we helped Josh move the rest of his stuff to his new apartment.

20/20

I am as nostalgic as the next person, if not more so, but on this day when my brand-new record player was delivered (free and overnight from a GIANT of the internets) I am focused more on what's good about the now.

I guess it's the clear discrepancy between young and older voters in the Brexit referendum and the Sanders/Clinton race, as well as Donald Trump's slogan Make America Great Again that reminds me that the past is usually viewed as halcyon. Still, deeper recollection should convince us that there have always been scary things.

And what makes us forget them?

Is hindsight.

Media Coverage

I clearly remember the first CD player I ever bought. In 1986, the $300 it cost seemed like such an extravagance that I could only afford two discs to go with it. After much deliberation, I chose Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits and So by Peter Gabriel, which both turned out to be iconic albums of the 80s. Back then, the whirrrrrrr of the disc spinning sounded like the future, and we marveled at the clarity of sound that our new gadget provided, and the convenience it added to making mixed tapes.

These days, our library of nearly 500 CDs sits dormant as we, like many folks, stream most of the music we listen to electronically. The miracle of holding thousands of songs in your hand has waned to banality.

So, with my end-of-the-year giftcard I decided to buy a record player.

All my vinyl records and I were separated sometime ago, and although there is a chance some of them may be recovered, I found myself in the oddly parallel situation to that of 30 years ago of purchasing a device without anything to play on it. This time, the player was relatively inexpensive, but the records? Not so much.

In the end I bought four: Meet the Beatles, an original copy of the first LP I ever owned (my teen-aged cousins bought it for me when I was two), a Charlie Brown themed jazz album by Vince Guaraldi, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, and The Eagles Greatest Hits, an album my mother played over and over while cleaning the house on the weekends when we were teens. We had that one on 8 track, though.

8-track?

Who knows?

Never say never.

Team Work

In most middle schools teachers operate in "teams." There are leadership teams, department teams, grade-level CLTs, and grade-level interdisciplinary teams. Although I am a player on all of the teams I mentioned, it is the last one which is truly the heart of the middle school model when it comes to supporting students both academically and socially.

Consisting of 80-120 heterogeneously grouped students and 5-8 core teachers who plan instruction, collaborate on field trips and other special events, and meet weekly with counselors and administrators to troubleshoot student concerns and coordinate services, and, oh yes, teach, the middle school team is an amazing institution when it works.

Every team has a leader, and I have had the privilege of being my team's leader for the last eighteen years. During that time at least 25 people have come and gone, but there have been three of us who have remained constant. At the end of each term it has become customary for my team to present me with a card and a gift. I always appreciate their appreciation, because truth be told, it is a lot of work. Even so, I don't really mind the time it takes, because our team works so well together to provide our students with the best possible sixth grade year. It totally seems worth the effort.

My team gave me this year's card as we stood in the empty hallway Thursday afternoon just a few moments after waving good-bye to the buses. In the happy glow of almost-summer, I basked in the kindness of their words and the warmth of their gratitude.

"You guys make it easy!" 

At Long Last

The final day of the school year has arrived. After the students left yesterday I finished packing my room and  wrapped my bookcases so neatly that I was tempted to add a bow and a tag reading Do not open until August 25.

Today, we spent our last morning at school tying up a few loose ends, writing thank-you notes, and saying good-bye to colleagues. Then it was lobster rolls for lunch followed by a matinee of Finding Dory.

Summer really is here!