School Days

Officially summer doesn't end until September 21, but in my books, summer closes up shop on the eve of the new school year. Summer = good weather. Summer = freedom. Both of these perks disappear the day school reopens its doors.

It's not a bad thing. I like cycles. I like familiarity. But I love summer. In summer, not only do I feel free from work obligations, I feel free period. It's like a there's a lightness that's come into life. I can walk around sockless. There's no need for heavy coats and ugly Sorrel boots. The daylight lingers and so does my energy, unlike winter's early darkness that entices me to hibernate.

So, despite all the excitement surrounding the new school year, I usually feel a little sadness when autumn rushes in three weeks early. BUT not this year! This year, summer gets to hang around a little longer- for me anyway.

I'm on Maternity leave. The teacher in me still has back-to-school dreams/nightmares (they start in late July) and part of me has already started to plan for the fictional class I'd be teaching if I were going back but, in reality, I am SO happy to be staying home on the first day of school.

It doesn't mean that I get to stop being a teacher though. I'll be "home schooling" Neal and Ella. I'll be the best teacher in the world. We'll go on field trips EVERY day. We'll do "hands on experiments" morning, noon, and night. We'll have a band - I'm a fabulous singer and pots-and-pans drummer - and film studies to boot (did you know that Spiderman is a CLASSIC?). Nature walks, cooking class, literacy, and more. It's all part of the Christina Wilson school experience.

The only snag: when the school bell rings at 3:30pm and my colleague's students head home, my littlin's will still be on my watch. But that's okay - they are cuter than ANY of my colleagues' students. Besides, our guest speaker (Daddy) will be on his way and I will be able to take a well deserved rest at the back of the class.

Of course, if I am to continue with the classroom analogy, things are about to get tougher. I am losing my teacher's assistant (our nanny, Edna) and the guest speaker booked for this week is kind of lame - quite literally, Daddy is physically damaged - and not up to the task of captivating the class so I can't rest during his presentation.

So with some downers here and on the horizon, perhaps my metaphorical summer is drawing to a close. Oh well. Happy fall everyone!