4..3..2..1..Blast Off to Summer!

I've been making a lot of plans that, God willing, will come to fruition in the next few months. I've never had such a busy summer schedule, despite the fact that it will be a month longer than usual.

Early Release May 2. Counting down! My colleagues and I have been stuffing, cramming, double-booking, and overlapping all of April and May's activities into one month, so I've been more busy than usual with end-of-year ceremonies, testing, etc. Oh, yes, and we're still trying to teach. There will be a Staff Development day on the 25th on which we all can start packing up our rooms so they are clean by May 9--that's when the contractors come to demolish and remodel parts of our building. So, my blog here is necessarily a second or fifth priority. But stay tuned anyway--maybe I'll have more time when my day job slows down! Ahem, that is, in exactly 14 more teaching days. Not to rub it in.

Chicago Skyline21st Century Learning Facilitator's Institute. I'm really looking forward to going to this training by Oracle Education Foundation's Think.com in Chicago the day after I finish my teacher work days. I plan to learn as much as possible so I will be qualified to present and facilitate more effectively at conferences and at school, but especially to be an official instructor the next time Oracle holds an institute -- hopefully they'll invite me to one overseas! While I'm in Chicago I'll have the opportunity to see some family, too.

Teaching and Technology Conference. I'll have a chance to practice my facilitator skills in early June in Bismarck, North Dakota. I'm eagerly anticipating my chance to see David Warlick there as he is the keynote speaker. My little session is just one hour but the conference would be worth attending whether I got to present or not.

Technology in Education - Colorado. This may not happen (for me) in late June as my librarian and I had hoped. Our building has seemingly re-directed the conference funding to Response-to-Intervention and Positive Behavior Support.

Summer School. I've accepted a position teaching at a nearby Performing Arts and Sciences middle school during the month of July. We'll work with struggling, at-risk, and incoming middle schoolers. You might have already guessed that. ;) I am excited about teaching in a different building for a few weeks and getting to know some new students. About half the attendees will actually attend my home school next August so we will have a chance to bond a little. That's always good. Plus, I'll be teaching Reading, which I haven't had a chance to do for a couple of years; a bonus.

Downtown VancouverVancouver. My birth mother and step-father live in beautiful Vancouver and have invited me to come up for a few days in August. The closest I've been is to Victoria, B.C. Vancouver itself should be wonderful. More on that later. Here's a link their neighborhood, West Vancouver.

I hope I'll be back here to this blog before all of the above is over. But I'll take this chance to wish everyone Happy Spring! and Enjoy Your Summer!