What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Guilty!  I admit beginning every school year with a variation of this topic. Like it or not, it's a great diagnostic tool.  I knew immediately what level my students were on concerning their writing, no expensive standardized test needed.  But more importantly, reading these mini-essays gave me insight into the uniqueness of each of my students.  It helped me to begin the discovery of how special each of my students would prove to be.

So, do you want to know how special I am?  Let me tell you how I spent my summer.  It was nothing very special; I went to the pool.  Almost every day. The dings running up and down the side of my car is a testimony to its daily battering from the doors of the mommy vans as they were thrown open by their excited kiddies.

While some of them may have beat the hell out of my car, overall, I really liked the kids at the pool.  Some of these kids are big kids; they are my former students all grown up and raising their own families.  Last year it took them a while to warm up to me.  Think about it...your fat old teacher in a bathing suit?  Probably about the same yuck factor as stumbling upon the secret of what mom and dad really do behind closed doors. 

Last year, E's baby was a huge belly bump.  This year the little sweetie wears a swim diaper (thank you E!!) and joins us in the pool.  She comes to me, and I get to hold her and say all kinds of gooey baby things.  Makes my day.  And little El; I just love her.  How do I describe her?  She's awkward and sometimes a crying mess.  But she has grown up so much since last summer.  She had a pretty new bathing suit this summer, golden curly hair, and a big smile.  I told her how pretty she was, and she was my pool buddy the rest of the summer. 

The kids I got the biggest kick out of were the ones who made me laugh.  One day my friend D and I were inching our way down the steps and into the water.  A whole bunch of kids were playing by the steps, but we could easily skirt by them them (there's a pun to be enjoyed if you've ever noticed the type of bathing suit women my age wear).  However, one of the polite boys stood up and announced, "Ok everybody!  Move and let the old ladies get by." He seemed confused when we fell into the pool laughing at the top of our lungs.  Another time, D was conversing with a little girl who asked her how old she was.  I could see the grandmother's horrified face, but D and I just laughed.  When D told her the truth, the little one looked seriously at her and said, "Hmm.  I thought you were in your twenties."  LOL

I grabbed a noodle and floated on my back a lot.  Once, a couple of the boys started a water battle in the diving area; they were beating each other with noodles and splashing the water out of the pool.  Suddenly, they stopped and I opened my eyes to see them quietly walking past me. One of them waved.  As soon as they passed me, they resumed beating the heck out of each other.  Gotta love them.

I'll bet you're wondering the location of this pool where the water is cool, the trees are shady, and all the little children are polite.  I'm not telling unless you promise not to park next to my car.