Sum- Sum- Summertime

(Post by Tracy)

It's definitely that time of year again. Spring break is now behind us. The days are noticeably longer. Quintessential summer songs are playing on the radio. Things like "locker clean out day" are visible on the monthly calendar. Countdowns are announced in class. All the weekends in June, July and August are filling up with plans.

Summer is right around the corner!

I am feeling the exact excitement, squirrelly-ness and anxiousness that I feel each year, which surprised me a little: I had previously thought that the origin of these feelings was the warm weather appearing (finally!) at some point in April, after a long and cold Midwestern November-March. But here I am feeling it again, and the weather has gotten warmer, but mostly just going from 70's to 80's. Maybe there's just something ingrained in the student and teacher psyche, a switch that is triggered when the mind decides that summer is finally close enough again that it's worth looking towards and counting down to.

At the same time, I do recognize at least one unique spark to these feelings this year. It was exactly a year ago that I was out here for my interview and then returned home to get a phone call with a job offer. Remembering that time throws me back into the excitement of last end-of-the-school-year-time. I love Milwaukee as a city and as a place to live, but after deciding last March that I was not returning to that school for another year, the prospect of starting again somewhere new was so refreshing, scaring but very exciting. The anticipation of a new adventure with my new husband in a new city was thrilling. Add to that the emotions I felt during my interview and time on campus at this, my new school - the thought that I could really see myself teaching here, belonging here and being happy here. So as I've walked around campus this week, I'm thrown back into those feelings as well. And I feel so happy that it has worked out how it has.

And with that, I'll leave you with this:

Official countdown: 18 more school days! (not including 3 days of finals) until summer!