Summer...

July 1st. The last day of my class. My project is done - presented yesterday. I have 8 pages left to read of my assignments, and then I have two full weeks with an open schedule - time to have fun with my kids, do some painting at my house, finish the little dirt pile in the back yard into a flower garden. Time to just go for a leisurely run, to linger over my morning coffee, time to curl up with the books I brought home from our classroom shelves.

How lucky are we to have summer vacation? I think about all those people with year-round jobs that are so busy constantly and never get a big break to recharge their batteries. They work and work, having lots of luxuries like fancy cars and big houses, but not the luxury of an afternoon at the pool just hanging out with their kids. I think about people who are living in poverty, with illness or violence in their lives, those who never get a break from the hard lives they lead, never get any kind of vacation from the burdens they carry. The worry is always there, nagging them even if they can forget it for a while.

I wonder how much richer all of our lives would be if we could somehow share the load, each of us using our talents to help our world be a place where everyone has what he or she needs and gets the summer vacation, the true relaxation, that we all need.

As I pulled books from the shelf yesterday, I wanted to find books about kids your age that will help us see the lives others live. I want to read about kids in the past, kids in the present, kids from other countries, kids from other worlds right here in the U.S. My reading list for right now includes the following: Schooled by Gordon Korman, Titanic Crossing by Barbara Williams, and Hush by Jacqueline Woodson. I think I'll start with Hush. I'll let you know how it is.

I hope you are enjoying a vacation of your own. Whatever you're doing, wherever you are, find some space to breathe this summer, to just be for a while.

Happy July!
Ms. Hagen