A last deep gulp of summer
Goodbye, Summer '22.
To bid goodbye to the summer, we loaded into the car to head north to the old seaport of Gloucester, Mass., to look for whales.
We saw four, pretty much starting as soon as we left the harbor. They announce their presence first with tiny geysers from their blow holes, and then they smoothly slide their fins and tails above water. We were all trying to photograph that iconic whale-tail shot (as seen on the old Hartford Whalers logo) but at no point did any of the four whales oblige.
(Did you know that when a whale surfaces and raises its tail high in the water, the animal is about to go for a deep dive?)
They didn’t breach the water for us, either.
That would have been cool, but none of it mattered. It was enough to know those humpbacks (there are other kinds in Gloucester waters, but that’s what we saw) were there. At one point, the guide announced there was a whale 100 feet beneath us, and the captain cut the engines and we sat quietly until the first geyser alerted us to the spectacle.
I take comfort that 100 feet below us (and above us, if I’m being honest) an entire world operates irrespective of my daily concerns.
Fall is my absolute favorite season, though I always watch summer leave with a bit of…well, “regret” seems too strong a word. Maybe a better word is “nostalgia,” for all the summers gone, balanced against the excitement of a new school year starting. I actually don’t-love hot, humid days, though I love the fresh tomatoes those days bring. I love waking up to a cool room, though I could do without the endless grading of assignments.
My semester starts today. By the time you read this (unless you’re some kind of freak who gets up when it’s still dark), I will be winding my way in to the office to have a moment to make sure I’m ready for my first two classes, Campaign Media at 9:30, and Communication and the Law, at 11. I spent the summer preparing for today, because if you can get the students ignited and excited in those first few minutes of class, you stand a better chance of keeping them engaged the entire semester.
As soon as I shut that classroom door, teaching, to me, is a little like jumping off a cliff. I know I’ll land and the ride will be thrilling but the drop can kill you. Some students will need more help than I can give. Some students will fall behind and blame everyone. but themselves, but for the most part? Students will surprise me with their wit and grace and their taking assignments into new territory, and it will be glorious. And this semester, about midway through when I feel like I’ll never catch up, I will know that 100 feet beneath me, there are creatures of unimaginable beauty moving through the world.
By this point in August I’ve been fully lulled into a summer trance (in a good way) and boom, 25,000 students flood into the area. Cars loaded down pull up in front of apartment houses in the neighborhood, new faces walk by the house entertaining us with snippets of excited conversations. Suddenly, there’s traffic on Main Street and there’s always that moment when I wonder “where did all these people come from?” like it’s never happened before and I have to laugh at myself. I like how town gets sleepy in the summer but I enjoy the burst of energy that comes with the beginning of the school year. It’s as close as I get to the feeling I had with that first glimpse of the bus turning up the street to pick us up.
I remember as a student, then parent of students, how exciting those first few days were. And when your teacher has a reputation as one who will teach in a fun and challenging way...when you know by the end of the semester you will become more competent, thanks to your teacher guide who sees your potential all along the way, even thru your uncertainties....it's extra super exciting. I am guessing that's how some of your students are feeing today! Your students are in such good hands! I wish a great start to you and to your students!