I Wonder

I set a timer for 20 minutes to write about what I wonder.  I wonder what I will wonder! 

I wonder what my children are doing down the street right now.  Are they using their manners?  Are they playing nicely with each other and their friends?  Are they having a fun?  Are they imagining? 

I wonder what my children will remember about this summer.  Will they remember our trips to the library?  Will they remember baseball?  Will they remember Hip Hop?  Will they remember playing Barbies, Baby Alive, house and dolls?  Will they remember planning Katie's birthday?  Will they remember going fishing with Dad?  Will they remember time spent with family and friends?  Will they remember the fighting and short tempers?  Will they remember disappointment?  Will they remember missing school? 

I wonder how much writing I will do this summer?  Will I be able to keep up with my blog and Teachers Write every day?  Will the things I rummaged out of my basement help me remember more about my own childhood and write things I am ready (and excited) to share with my students?  Will I uncover an idea for a Work In Progress?  If I decide to write fiction, will I meet a main character like myself or very different? 

I wonder about the students who will be sitting in my classroom in September.  Will they be excited to start high school/another school year?  Will they be anxious or afraid?  Will they be glad to be back in school or wish they could extend the summer?  Will they get to know me and share themselves with me?  Will they be open to reading and writing?  Will they want to speak German?  Will they believe in themselves as much as I want them to believe in themselves?  Will they know that I care about and believe in them? 

I wonder how to keep a more relaxed pace and carve out time for the important things when another crazy busy school year starts.  It takes time to get used to the downtime of summer.  I wonder why it takes no time at all to get caught up in the craziness and hectic pace of the classroom/school building. 

I wonder if my past students are enjoying the summer.  I wonder if they are growing.  I wonder if I will see their smiling faces in the halls next fall.  I wonder if they know what a difference they have made in my life--how much they truly remind me of why what I do is important in spite of how challenging my job can sometimes feel and be. 

I wonder what our long weekend in Petoskey will be like.  Will we enjoy being a family in a different, more peaceful setting?  Will we get along?  Will we fish, swim and tube?  Will the children pack half their bedrooms?  Will our cats be angry when we come home?  Will the memories we make there become a new summer tradition for our family? 

I wonder how our lives will change as Katie starts kindergarten in the fall?  Will we adjust better to her school routine, activities, and homework.  Will she begin to develop some interests and activities around her friends instead of simply around her sister?  How will I feel watching her get off the bus?  I wonder if time really does go faster as your youngest heads off to school.  Will she keep her spunk but also learn to share more and be more flexible?  Will she love learning?  Will she be good at math?  Will she lose a tooth?  Will she want to start a sport? 

I wonder how teaching ELA 9 in the fall will be different than teaching it in the spring.  Will I have less repeaters?  Will I have more challenges since students are just beginning the middle school to high school transition?  Will I enjoy being plugged in to the ELA 9 team at the beginning of the school year where everyone is remembering the growth measures/pacing/curriculum changes?  What will it be like to have a HS coach? 

I wonder how the implementation of MS German will impact me at the high school.  Will enrollment go up or down?  Will my ELA schedule change?  Will I miss or stay connected to ELA, if my ELA schedule changes.  Is it time to pursue a travel opportunity for my German students?  Would families be open to hosting?  Who did we hire at the MS level? 

I wonder if I'll get the new texts for AARI.  Will they be perceived as more "high school?"  Will my AARI students want to be better readers or will they be resistant to an intervention class?  Will parents communicate with and support me? 

I wonder if I ever stop wondering about my kids, at home and at school.  Actually, I know the answer to that one--NO.