This morning I enjoyed a lazy second cup of coffee and looked out upon gardens that were being soaked by a steady summer rain. It afforded me time to gather my thoughts about the year ahead and think about some of the imperatives that it will entail. An immediate priority for me will be our school's application to become MYP authorized. This will be a major undertaking that involves a great deal of work and the efforts of many faculty members. It will also be a great opportunity for our school to re-examine curriculum delivery in grades 7-10, plan collaboratively, and further develop a professional learning community with a unity of purpose. This will be a busy and exciting time.
When I was a student I gave little thought to the work that teachers did over the summer. I probably assumed that they just showed up at the same time as students and got to work on what they knew best. Sure, I saw the cars in the school parking lot prior to Labor Day, but really thought little about how much thought and attention went into the preparation stage of teaching.
As a teacher I came to know that a great deal of a school's success depends upon that preparation phase. As an experienced teacher, I now know that the time for such preparations arrives earlier and earlier. I look forward to the formal week of professional development that takes in the last week of August. I also have started the daily discipline of setting priorities, keeping administrative tabs, and giving thought to the framework of the school year.
Yes, there will be time for a few more leisurely second cups of coffee, but in my mind the August school bells have started to ring.
