Thursday, March 2, 2017

The Rhythms That Define Our Lives - Day 2 #SOL17




 

 

I retired three years ago and immediately missed being with kids and teachers. As a principal, I spend my days with them and lived out the rhythm of school life. The start of a new school year, greeting the kids and watching their learning unfold, parent conferences, holiday programs, staff meetings, talent shows, and field days. 

Once I retired, I missed the rhythm of the school year. It took me awhile to get used to the absence of the milestones that marked the passing of the school year.

About the same time that I retired, the school district in which I live opened a new middle school and the entrance to the school is directly across from my house. And so a new rhythm started. Fourteen buses make the turn into the school drive each morning. I hear the rumble of the engines as the buses slow down to make the turn and then head up to the school.

As I wake from sleep, I hear the buses rumble toward the school. I can tell when it's a school day or an occasional day when school is closed. I can tell when its the weekend. And I can tell when it's summertime in the absence of that early morning greeting as bus after bus comes by.

The rhythm of the school year is still with me. It's a little more passive because I can choose to rise or stay cuddled under the covers a few more minutes. But it is one of the rhythms of my life that mark my days. It is part of me. 

What are the rhythms that mark your days?

9 comments:

  1. That is so neat that you still have that rhythm of something to do with the school like the sounds of the school bus. I really enjoyed reading this. It made me think of the days I taught preschool... I really miss it, but life had other plans. Now the rhythm that marks my day is mostly having to take my dog out for his walks. It's like he can read the clock. We walk 4 times a day and he's ready at right around the same time each day.

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  3. My good friend said what she missed most when she retired was back-to-school shopping. As an office supply addict, I can relate to that in my future!

    My current rhythms are your old ones. I teach high school English and love it every day!

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  4. You are tuned to the rhythms of that school bus...your post has me looking ahead, Karen.

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  5. I love that you still have school rhythms in your life. I'm really curious to see what my rhythms will be come August. You will be my mentor for how you tackle this next phase of life. ;)

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  6. I have also been retired for three years, yet every year, late in August, I can't sleep and begin to feel anxious. School is getting ready to open, and the rhythms are still with me.

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  7. I can imagine that the teacher rhythms we get so accustomed to never really leave us. At least not for a while. I love that you're still connected by those buses.

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  8. Teaching just gets into us and never leaves us, just like being a mom.

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  9. This is so true. In my new position, I have been surprised to find some of my favorite times to be in buildings are as students enter, during lunch, and as they leave. I like the rhythm of communities during this time, the cheerful conversations and words shared as friends find one another.

    I'm thinking changing rhythms can be tricky as we try to find our new beat.
    Cathy

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