Seasoning

I appreciate the change of seasons.  I love the dramatic changing of the leaves and the cooler nights.  Along with the changes in weather each year there is a change in routine as I gear-up and return to teaching school.  There's a strange contrast that as foliage decays, new students with their mostly willing minds begin to grow.  It does make sense that before the weather gets too rough, we move inside to expose our insides to new ideas and reflections.  Each new school year bring the promise of great experiences and high expectations.  I loath the many staff meetings and bureaucracy that attempt to assist actual learning, but seems to dampen it instead.  After all, the true joy of teaching K-12 is dealing with youth and their energy, enthusiasm, zest, and curiosity.  I am often asked what I teach and it makes perfect sense to me to reply, "students".  My curriculum is a discipline made up of several courses, or definitively put, what is taught is a consistent focus in a certain direction.  I sit with a broad variety of students each day and attempt to steer us toward a common goal.  Some might compare this to herding cats, but I see it within the context of the approaching season.  We are following a creek in the draw of a canyon surrounded by leaves of every color imaginable - each with unique beauty.  It is an uphill climb and the stream gets smaller even nonexistent at the top, but oh, what a view!