Monday, January 2, 2017

Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes... 2017

Happy New Year!
Welcome... 2017!

I'm one of those lyric-challenged people who can never remember the words to songs, so it may be completely inappropriate... but I keep hearing one line from David Bowie in my head... 
"Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes! Ch-ch Changes!"

My life has been pretty consistent for... well... forever... but 2017 is going to bring some ch-ch-ch-ch changes.

This scruffy little thing was a 4th grader back in 1974.
She said, "I'm going to be a teacher when I grow up."
And, she never changed her mind.






Under her senior yearbook picture back in 1982, her aspiration was printed - Elementary Teacher.








Just after turning 21, she got her first class.  Wow... That was in 1985 so those kids would be 40 years old now... I hope they all became productive citizens!







Then a few months ago, that girl welcomed kids into their new class home for the 32nd time...
Where did the time go...
How many kids...
How many lesson plans...
How many papers to grade...
How many books read...
How many....


Well... Let me take a minute to wipe my eyes... allergies I guess... 😉
... and say that I made the right choice back in 4th grade... It's been a great ride...

But... Ch-ch-ch-ch changes...
...31.5 years down... half a year to go...
...63 semesters down... 1 to go...
...5,601 days down... 95 to go...

What will I be?
What will define who I am?
What will fill my time?
What will occupy my thoughts?

I look forward to discovering those answers...

5 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post and thanks so much for sharing. It is exciting as you go through the countdown to dream about what the next chapter can be and what and who you are without the constraints that you have lived under while working full time. I have no doubt that it will nice to watch. How wonderful that dreams really do come true!!

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    1. That's a wonderful way to put it... "dreams really do come true"...
      Even though I'm not sure what the dream is yet!!!

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  2. HUGE 'hump' to climb up, but once you have (and you clearly have) and you get to the top, and you SEE what lies before you...ahhh! It's the very best my friend, it truly is, not that there won't be a few growing pains (think back to university classes, practice teaching; getting your first class, first PT interviews) that may very well surprise the heck out of you, but you will find your new normal and it's a beautiful new normal. :-) Remind me to show you my 'first day' and 'last day' photos, another 'wee-ooh' wee-ooh' thing we both did!

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    1. Thank you, my friend. I look forward to discovering that new normal. But not yet!! There are still 95 days between now and then!

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  3. What a ride! I love those old photos. You're going to find your niche and churn out much art, I'm sure!

    Our first grade teacher was fresh out of college for my first grade class. She goes to my church and still recalls fun times with us, her first first grade class in her first year of teaching. I'm 53 now, so she's probably 75? Anyway, it's a little surreal to talk with her now. I'll always be 6 and she'll always be 22. ;)

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