No Year Is Created Equal

Every school year is completely different.  It is actually one of the things I love best about our career.  Each group of students brings their own set of strengths and challenges and we must change and grow with them.
This particular year brought many challenges.  I thought we were prepared.  My building had done a summer long trauma study.  We changed our thinking about behavior.  Created school wide expectations and even made t-shirts :)
We thought we were ready.  But as children always remind us...we do not have it all figured out.  We must grow and change with their individual needs.  So we do.

Although this year was rough, it is also over.  Time for me to reboot, rejuvenate, and sharpen my teaching brain.  Summer allows for this to occur.  I have taken walks in the early morning with crisp, cool air, the sun rising, and birds singing.  I have walked through the grass with no shoes on.  I have sat in the sun reading a book that I can't put down.  These small happy moments prepare me for the new year ahead and allow me to open my brain and heart to new challenges.

This summer I am reading several books to help me prepare for the year ahead.

What are reading this summer to prepare for your upcoming year?  Is there anything you do to clear your head and prepare for the children that you will meet in the fall?

Em