On long weekends or over holiday breaks, I usually send my students off with the line, “Sleep in, be a lazy bum for me.” I’m changing my tune now. It might be my age but I’m thinking the best advice should be, “Get dirty!”
To me, that phrase means to get involved, seek out new things, find out what’s around you and grab all the gusto you can while you’re out there. As teachers and those wonderful folk that help us every day, we’re a pretty fortunate bunch to have a chance to refocus, change course and prepare ourselves for a new batch of young minds to mold. Summer break can mean lots of things to lots of people. Some of us take classes, some travel, some have seasonal jobs … but all of us get the chance to catch our breath, to renew the energy and to remember our love for life long learning, that got us here in the first place.
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Graduates, you own the world now. Every single door is open. Congratulations! You’ve worked very hard and have experienced many years of long months in between those coveted summer breaks. If you are college bound in the fall, I’m hoping you’ll take my words into account to enjoy this precious time right now. If life is taking you down different roads, do the same … Life 101 is all about staying engaged in something you love. Getting dirty should be way up high on your life’s list of goals.
I’m very lucky. My husband, Chris, is also a teacher, a really fun teacher. So I always have a constant playmate. He is the one that has kept me young. He’s always up for something, and has a natural way of figuring out that once we’ve worked too much, we NEED to stop and play. A kid needs to be or to find a playmate like that!
When my kids leave me today, it’s going to be ALL about getting dirty … have a glorious summer break!
Kathleen Jones teaches at Sherrod Elementary School in Palmer.
Comments
1 comment(s)lLaurie wrote on May 22, 2008 10:06 PM:
Thank you for reminding us to "be"! "