The dog days are over

The dog days are done

The horses are coming

So you better run

Week Two of teacher in-service.

No use denying it; summer break is officially over.

Not that it was much of a break, mind you.

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father

Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers

Leave all your love and your longing behind

You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive

Cutting azaleas that hadn’t been trimmed in eight years.

Clearing the waterfront of pampas grass.

Digging out the grease trap and snaking the septic system.

Performing a skit in which I played the villain playing a snooty French sculptor.

Preparing for Physics labs.

Condensing curricula to fit schedule changes.

Adjusting curricula to meet new state standards.

Writing syllabi and preparing memorization sheets.

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

Can you hear the horses?

‘Cause here they come

Now I’m working in my classroom.

No matter how much I do at the end of the year, no matter how much I work through the summer, it’s always crunch time right before school starts.

And I never wanted anything from you

Except everything you had and what was left after that too, oh

Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back

Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that

Just when you get used to something, change happens.

Old teachers leave.

New teachers come.

Old students leave.

New students come.

Schedules change.

Requirements change.

And, like Alice, all you can do is run as fast as you can just to stay in the same place.

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

Can you hear the horses?

‘Cause here they come

But things don’t stop coming.

Welcome Letters

Supply Lists

Seating Charts

Book Orders

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father

Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers

Leave all your love and your longing behind

You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive

Orientation Thursday night; first day on Friday. And it’s full tilt to December.

Labs

Current Events

Foreign Focus

Declaration of Independence

Preamble to the Constitution

Bill of Rights

Maps

Countries

States

Capitals

Homework

Quizzes

Tests

Exams

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

Can you hear the horses?

‘Cause here they come

Did I say December? I meant May. Memorial Day Weekend, to be exact.

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

The horses are coming

So you better run

Take a deep breath . . .

Here. We. Go.