November

October is behind us now, and store displays have moved beyond Halloween right to Christmas, neglecting Thanksgiving in the process. Some leaves are still hanging on for dear life, but most have been ripped from their branches by wind and rain. Most forecasts include blustery. We just gained an hour, and it’s dark early now. Sunday, our first day after falling back, felt like the longest day of the year. This is the month of Thanksgiving, and sometimes our first snowfall, although for some New Englanders that already came in October this year. We may get a little more tonight while we sleep.

For teachers, at least those in my district, this month is also one marked with days off from school. Students stayed home on Election Day while we had a Professional Development day. Next week, we all get Veteran’s Day off from school. The week after that we have a long week, with Parent-Teacher conferences one night, making it officially the longest school week of the year, but reprieve comes the week following, with our Thanksgiving break.

For me, this also means we are one-quarter through the school year. I just came out of what I call grading hell, preparing and sending quarter grades, and it made me tired. Soon, hitting snooze won’t be enough, but November is followed by December, and that means we’re within a month of having snow days. The sad thing is I’m ready for that.

In ten short weeks I’ve gone from relaxed to stressed, refreshed to exhausted, tan to pale. And the idea of getting a phone call in the morning that essentially tells me to go back to bed puts a spring in my step. Bring on the snow days.

At least I’m not wishing for an H1N1 outbreak.