memories of summers past

i woke up this morning with a memory of the *feeling* of waking up in Masaya, Nicaragua to go teach. every morning there (pretty much all the time) my face felt sticky and even though it was warm out, i never wanted to get out of bed. not because i didn't want to go teach--i liked my job--but just because i don't like getting out of bed.

getting up in the morning to teach in the summer just feels different than working during the school year. summer school is fleeting...you have your kids for a pretty short period of time, then it's over. more than that, though, is something that i don't feel like i can describe. just the feeling of waking up in the morning in the summer to work.

it's amazing to think back on summer school in Watts and remember how early we got up and how we had no clue what the heck we were doing. wow! i am teaching the same sort of class this summer (actually it begins in an hour), an intervention class for kids who failed during the school year. but, this year, even though the first day this year felt similar to Watts and i was nervous and not sure what to expect, i have quickly fallen into my groove and become comfortable in what i'm doing. it's very reassuring--i felt a little bit distressed on my first day of summer school because the kids were being so talkative. turns out they were testing me and i was giving them an "i'm nervous" vibe (cause i was). i was way more confident the past few days and today they really rose to the occasion. it's nice that the classes and days are short and it feels like time is passing pretty quickly....i can't complain about earning $3G.

i hope you are all having a good summer, too!!