Fourteen minutes of summer break left!

In less than twelve hours, our school year begins!  Everyone is asleep but me, for this night is kinda like Christmas Eve, but instead of strewing ribbon and wrapping paper everywhere and pulling it all together into a vision of evergreen joy as the sun breaks over the horizon, instead of hanging stockings filled with candy and more candy, it's brand new notebooks and books and folders and glue sticks and wide ruled paper that will be neatly arranged in three crates there in front of the fireplace.  

Hopefully I will fall into bed myself well before the crack of dawn, but we'll see.

In our area, most of the kids we know are also going back to public school in the morning.  Their moms are like the mom-side of me tonight--making sure I've done all I'm supposed to so that the kids have a great first day back.  Everyone has bathed, well, because that's a good habit to have, and because your brain works more efficiently when you're clean.  The one who needed a haircut got it just in the nick of time.  Outfits have been picked out.  

And a bunch of my friends are teachers, who share the other train of thought I am on tonight--hoping my planning pays off in excitement and learning without stifling, going over my to-do list one more, maybe two, more times before I turn out the light on summer break.  Did I copy everything I needed to?  Do I really like this science curriculum after all?  (That's just an example--I really like our science curriculum.) 

And a lot of us wear both hats, mom and teacher.  No, I'll be honest, I wear both, but it's not the same level of intensity in this boat as it is for my friends who teach in the public and private school settings.  I've been a teacher in both those settings, and I've been a mom, but I've never done those two things simultaneously except for the last months I taught fourth and then fifth grade while I was expecting our oldest. Homeschooling moms have different aspects of intensity, but I have so much respect for my friends who have so much to give to their classes and even more to their own families when they get home.  That leads to my point....

For moms who are up praying over their kids and for their kids' teachers and for teachers who are up tonight praying for their own kids and the ones they will have in class in the morning, and for moms who are up working on school stuff because they are their kids' teachers.....oh, yes, we've got a lot to work on and a lot to look forward to tomorrow and in the weeks to come!   May we bridge across our different educational situations to build one another up.

May this scripture, Proverbs 2:1-11, give us all encouragement and be a reminder of where our true worth and success as teachers really rests.

My son, if you accept my words

    and store up my commands within you,

 

turning your ear to wisdom

    and applying your heart to understanding—

 

indeed, if you call out for insight

    and cry aloud for understanding,

 

and if you look for it as for silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

 

For the Lord gives wisdom;

    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

 

He holds success in store for the upright,

    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

 

for he guards the course of the just

    and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.

 

For wisdom will enter your heart,

    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 

Discretion will protect you,

    and understanding will guard you.