I have always been the mom that is crazy excited for school to be out for summer break. Heck, really for any break. And while technically, our school year doesn’t end until next week, my kiddos have completed all of their assignments for the year. Next week we just have to go up to the school to have their belongings placed in the back of our car by their teachers. #socialdistancing

So, why am I not feeling my usual level of excitement?

I realize this is a dumb question. We all know the answer to this one is #COVID19! The lovely virus that disrupted all of our lives, made our kiddos school year abruptly change, and forced all of us to figure out how to be the best kind of teachers for each of our different kind of learners. I can firmly say that elementary teachers are saints and they deserve major awards for the patience it takes to keep little people focused on the task at hand. I can also confidently say I made the right decision in choosing secondary education as my calling.

I think one of the things I am most sad about is the fact that all of our usual summer plans are not happening this year. We don’t have anything on the calendar to look forward to when usually our summers are jam packed with trips and other adventures. Generally, this is the season we spend with friends more than any other. We figure out ways to travel with my husband on his work trips just to get out and into different scenery. It seems so weird to be going into summer with ZERO plans. And, yes, I realize this is our choice because things are opening back up. And, yes, we might end up figuring out at least one trip we can still take this summer. But, for the most part our plans are to stay put which isn’t a bad thing, it is just different.

At this point, I think that is simply how the year 2020 is playing out – it’s not necessarily all bad, it’s just different.