The kids and I both started back to school on August 18th ... which seems SO early. I have to keep reminding myself that they have now started finishing school before Memorial Day, so it makes sense that they go back earlier now too.
By the way, if you ask them, they are quick to tell you that they would prefer to continue school into June because it is still chilly here at the end of the May and it still feels like summer when they have to return in August.
Samantha started 9th grade -- which means that I have a high-schooler!
Sophia started 6th grade -- which means that she is a middle-schooler now.
The girls ride the bus together and get picked up for school at 7 am. This is part of a new strategy in the district for a "staggered start." Apparently, it is supposed to help with the limited number of bus drivers that we have, but I have yet to figure out how it actually helps because they are now running 2 routes in the mornings and afternoons ... and we have 3 more drivers than we did last year. Time will tell.
I always like to grab a picture of the girls in front of the front flower garden because the hibiscus plant is usually still in bloom and the black-eyes susans are so bright and colorful.
Jack is in 4th grade this year -- migrating down to the "big kids' hall" at the Elementary School (the school is filled with 1st through 5th graders).
And James is in 1st grade -- as he has moved up into the same school as Jack.
The boys get picked up at 8 am ... a full hour after the girls. That also means that they arrive home an hour later and I am still working out the details on how that will work for us with after-school activities.
For now, they are excited because they get to sleep in longer in the mornings!
I wasn't able to get a group picture in the morning, like I usually do, because of the staggered starts. So, instead, I took one after school. Everyone had a great first day! And for that, I am thankful!
As for me ... I am teaching more classes than ever at LCC this semester. It wasn't in my original plans, as it is my first semester back after COVID, and I was planning to ease back into it. But, the College was short on instructors and begged me to take on another class less than 1 week before the semester began. So, I am teaching in the classroom 4 days a week with 3 lectures and 1 lab -- all with different preps. And, on one of those days, I am traveling to campus for a class in the morning and another in the evening. It will be tough, but teaching is something I truly love.
