Thoughts of A "Summer" Student - What I Hope For My Students

For the past two summers I spent my summer days donning a tool belt. This summer it even expanded to a pink hard hat. Today was the day I had to put it all on the shelf until next summer. Not gonna lie, I'm sad bummed.

Added more tools to my collection this year. Pry bar does wonders. 

Safety first! Does it suit me?

Not gonna lie I love working in construction. LOVE IT! Every day I learned something new became more confident in my abilities, climbed the taller ladders, hauled one more piece of wood on my pile, tried a tricker angle with the nail gun, tried slightly more difficult cuts with the various saws. 

When these thoughts cross my mind, I realize how much it relates to school. For the summer, I get to be the student. Luckily I have a great teacher. Sometimes he let me figure things out myself, other times jump in to help or fix my mistakes. Because of this I know how to:

put a roof on, 

install wood floors

install insulation

build closet shelves

put up trim and base

pour concrete

install and place beams

the importance of priming

install beadboard ceiling

helped design a fireplace

install stairs

know construction jargon -legs, beveled, plumb, 45, sheet, stud, plate, rip, header, OSB

And yes there were times I messed up. I made the wrong cuts...sometimes multiple times. Used the wrong type of wood. Put dents in walls or accidentally wrote on the walls with my pencil (thank goodness for great painters). Even cut my finger with a circular saw. BUT everyday I was still excited to show up. 

I can only hope that the same is true for my students. That they learn something everyday. That they are excited to come to school. That they feel safe enough to try something new. That they feel supported. That they feel comfortable to share their ideas. That someone takes an interest in them and wants to listen to them and help them. That they are excited about what they have learned and can't wait to show what they know. 

Which is true about me. Here is just a sampling of how I spent my summer days. 

Alas it is time to hit school mode full board. I have been working on stuff (printing and laminating mostly), some classroom organizing, and planning. This is the week to start getting it altogether.