Aug 24 The Roses & Thorns of Going Back to School

Rose: The kids.

Thorn: Waking up to an alarm clock again.

Rose: Working with some of my best friends.

Thorn: Being tired pretty much all of the time.

Rose: Being able to shape so many children’s first view of school. There’s nothing like it.

Thorn: Getting frustrated on days my body won’t cooperate like I want it to.

Rose: Being able to explore with my kids the importance of having empathy and compassion.

Thorn: No planning time this year. Having to teach library, gym, art, & music for the first time ever.

Rose: Getting to do the parachute in gym class with my kids…And dancing.

Thorn: Life going back to a super fast pace.

Rose:  Cute work clothes.

Thorn: No more shorts or flip-flops.

Rose: Getting back on a schedule.

Thorn: Getting back on a schedule.

Rose: Former students. When they visit, ask if they can help in the classroom, and when you realize just how far they have come.

Thorn: Keeping track of all of the paperwork, new rules, and regulations.

Rose: The hugs. The smiles. The curiosity. Watching the kids experience the biggest joy over the smallest things. The innocence.

Thorn: No more leisurely mornings in my PJs watching the Today Show and drinking coffee during the week.

Rose: The families that make up the Wexford family.

Thorn: Having to constantly keep track of my body and if I am pacing myself enough to make it through an entire work week.

Rose: My returning children who I will have the privilege of having for two or three years.

Thorn: Having to actually keep track of what day it is again.

Rose: Watching a class of independent thinkers and learners evolve.

Thorn: POTS induced insomnia nights and then having to go to work.

Rose: Having open discussions about so many topics. And I mean SO many.

Thorn: Figuring out how to balance it all again.

Rose: The uncensored, refreshing honesty of children.

Thorn: Colder weather.

Rose: All of the fun, fall activities we do.

Thorn: Having to admit to myself that I can’t do it all, and some things need to go.

Rose: The inevitable laughs.

Thorn: Days that I must come to terms that I need to ask for help.

Rose: The kids.  Did I mention the kids?  Because if I didn’t, the KIDS are the biggest, best rose of all.