Goodbye and Good Riddance

September was a looooong month.
I was so ready to kick it to the curb and welcome October with open arms.

I guess I should have known considering it started with an earthquake, tornadoes and a hurricane!

This year going back to school has been rough.  Absolutely the hardest out of my 8 years of teaching. With so many federal mandates coming down the pike requiring paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork not to mention meetings, after meetings, after meetings, it's been quite overwhelming.  I go to school and hold my breath, hoping that I can tread the water and not drown today.  If only I could go to work and just, you know, teach!!  What a JOY that would be.

When it comes to my students, they are what keeps me going!  I have 22 of the nicest children you could ever hope to have in a class.  Everybody gets along, they help each other, they smile, they laugh, and a month into school they are finally getting down procedures.  September can be quite exhausting as you create the procedures, teach the procedures, then re-teach the procedures, then reinforce the procedures, then reteach the procedures...and continue to go round and round and round! Exhausting.  But, I think the kiddos are getting it and now we can let the real learning begin!

On top of my back to school craziness, September also brought the start of my new adventures in teaching...at the college level.  I thrive with challenge and my love of learning keeps me on the lookout for new ways I can grow so when I was offered to teach at the college level, I jumped at it. I knew it was going to be challenging and require a lot of time, but I was ready. Or so I thought!  It has been quite the experience so far and I don't know who was probably more nervous that first night of class...my students or me.  I created and administered my first exam last week and we are getting ready for group presentations in the coming weeks.  It's moving right along and once again I'm glad to see September go.

Along with the start of my real jobs, September brought Zoe's gymnastics practice twice a week, homework at nights, french horn practice, working weekends, and a whole lot of new routines. It wasn't pretty.

But, we made it through.

The course has been set, we're flowing along {albeit a bump here and there}, and I'm remaining hopeful that calm seas are ahead.

October is here.
I'm looking forward to...

• fall weather
• picking pumpkins
• attending fall festivals
• wearing jeans and sweaters
• going to New York
• celebrating Zoe's 7th birthday
• Halloween

Here's to a great  month ahead!!
Anything special you are looking forward to this month?