Tag: summer

Part of the Whole

Posted on August 16, 2012 by

As I wake up I hear the rhythmic tick of the sprinkler outside my window.  The coffee drips in time to the clock, and although the house is quiet, my brain jumps wide awake.

It’s not official yet – summer really still has four more days before I should be mourning the end of long nights spent wrapped around a novel, mornings lingering over another coffee with cream, and being alone.

But I’m part of something.  I contribute to a system, a group, a team of people who cares beyond measure about children.  We get up early, we plan, we laugh, we smile, and we create a whole unit designed to pull each other up and out of ourselves.

The sprinkler subsides outside my window.  The coffee dwindles to the last drop, and my house begins to stir. My body must jump awake, engage, and prepare to take part.

They’re counting on me.

Who’s counting on you?

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestGoogle PlusYelp

Guest Blogger: Summertime Educational Field Trips

Posted on June 26, 2012 by

Are your kids starting to get bored with summer already?  Are you wondering how to spend your vacation in a meaningful way?  I hope you enjoy today’s guest post, and find something to do that makes your summer special!

Some people take vacations to get away from the stress of their everyday lives. Others like to take trips that will teach them something. If you have children, taking educational vacations is a great way to keep your child learning, especially during summer vacation.

You can find educational vacations in every part of the world. The following are just a few suggestions.

1. Historical Sites
Places such as Washington DC, Philadelphia and St. Augustine all have historical landmarks that you can visit to learn more about history. Most of these locations have buildings that are still around, and some even have tours that you can take to learn more information. These types of vacations are a great way to keep your family educated, and it’s a great place to learn about the history of our country, and even the history of some other countries. You can opt to visit famous historical landmarks, or you can opt to visit those lesser known ones, depending on where you’re traveling.

2. National Parks
Taking trips to national parks is another great educational vacation. The Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains and even Death Valley are all national parks that offer an array of education and enjoyment. You can hike, take tours, take pictures and even camp out at most national parks. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get to see plants and animals in their natural habitats, which is an experience unlike any other.

3. Zoos
Though it may not seem like a vacation, taking trips to the zoo is another educational trip. Zoos offer a great deal of information about the animals, from their evolution to basic habits to habitats and much more. Plus, taking a trip to the zoo is far less expensive than taking a trip out of state, so you can provide a great deal of education to your children without spending a great deal of money. Most zoos will have information around the zoo that you can use to learn, or you may want to pick up an educational brochure or indulge in a guided tour of the zoo to learn as much as you can.

4. Large Cities
If you live near a large city, you may be able to find some education there too. Most large cities have historical buildings or have experienced historical events, and these are great to see, tour and simply learn about. Some just have great stories and great sights to see.

The best way to gain some education from a large city is to take a tour. Some tours are by bus while others, such as Chicago, even offer boat tours. If you visit a large city in your state, you may be surprised at the events that took place in your town throughout the years, and it will captivate you to learn how old certain buildings are.

If you’re interested in taking an educational trip, you have plenty of historical and national landmarks that you can visit, or you can simply take a trip to your local zoo or large city to experience a new wealth of knowledge.

Ben Myers is a college English professor.  He is currently grading a huge stack of essays on Of Mice and Men.  In his spare time, Ben likes to study about learning methods and learning disabilities.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestGoogle PlusYelp

Summertime Payback

Posted on June 22, 2012 by

This may be a little known fact to some, but school teachers don’t exactly get three months of vacation.

The way I see it, our vacation is really a way to add in some of the overtime hours that we racked up during the school year.

Let me explain. If my teaching day ends at 4:00, I have put in 8.5 hours at school. Only 50 minutes of that was allotted for preparation and grading. If I assign one essay and spend 20 minutes per student on grading it, that will take 720 minutes (12 hours) for one class of 36 – remember, no one has class sizes of 30 anymore. if I have five classes, that’s 60 hours of extra work per essay assignment. That’s another entire work week, plus overtime.

As I head into my second week of ‘vacation’, I’m finally starting to relax. I’m not hearing any bells buzzing in my ears, telling me when to stop and go. I’ve stowed my book bags in my home office, willing to let them sit until August. I’ve gone to the gym and grocery store mid-day, I’ve washed all my coffee travel mugs, and am beginning to make my way through the stacks of magazines that have built up since December.

But the best part about being a teacher isn’t all of those things; it’s not even the time payback.

I really think the secret is that teachers have the best of both worlds.

I’ve always been a ‘working-outside-the-home mom’. I’m not complaining-we made that choice in order to live where we do (California), get health insurance benefits, save for retirement and our children’s college, and to have the ability to live off of two incomes. I don’t know what it’s like to be a stay-at-home mom, but I imagine parts of it are pretty great.

I also imagine there are parts of it that are really, really hard.

The loveliness of being a teacher isn’t just about having fun in the classroom, or having a few weeks off in the summer. It isn’t about having my own child at school for three years, personally knowing all her teachers, or having a place outside my house to store all my books.

What I find delicious and at the same time difficult is the transition between being a ‘work-outside-the-home’ mom and being home all day. I say it’s my compromise for all the missed walks to and from school while they were little, the lunches I forgot to pack, and the field trips I couldn’t go on. It’s my way of making up for not being the ‘science’ or ‘library’ mommy in their classroom, and for having to send store bought cookies for their birthday celebration.

Summertime is my time to not only catch up on the ‘to-do’ lists, but also to do things with my kids that I can’t squeeze in during the school year- like long walks at dusk, talking about what’s important. Riding our bikes. Spending hours in the library looking for a perfect book. Making that cake recipe that takes an entire day. Swimming and reading at the pool. Wandering around a museum. Road trips to anywhere. Lying on the grass for a cool evening baseball game.

For me, working-outside-the-home makes these moments just a little sweeter-it makes summertime special.

Nothing is better payback than that.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestGoogle PlusYelp

Friday Photo: When Summer Ends

Posted on September 3, 2011 by

Sometimes as I’m moving around in my day, an image gets stuck in my head that I can’t shake. Sometimes it conjures up a memory, a feeling, or provides an impulse to do something. Often, though, I just see something that I want to capture in my mind for no particular reason-it just speaks to me. I’d like to offer these images up for ‘thought contributions’-as a way to generate a community of ideas together.

Unlike most people who live in my part of California, I hate the hot weather.   Sometimes I really wonder what I’m doing here-all I can think of is how to escape the heat and get to the cool, foggy days on the coast.  So when I think of summer’s end, I don’t mourn the long, hot days – my mind actually goes right back to our last summer trip to the northern part of California, where when the valley is baking in 100+ degree heat, we enjoyed a lovely day in the mid 60s.  Today’s photo, taken while hiking with my kids at Trinidad, California, is in honor of the end of summer-and the beginning of back to school, back to work, and back to schedules. 

When summer ends, what do you miss the most?

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestGoogle PlusYelp