Parenting and Pedagogy

Going on week 2 of that amazing, much needed, well deserved, fall break. I have taken the naps, I have watched the shows, and I’ve read my book. I have NOT looked at lesson plans, cleaned much of anything, or stressed about much of anything. And this break was SO needed. I could feel my cortisol levels rising in those last couple of weeks of school.

But now, the boredom has set in. You see, one can only be idol for so long before we start to question our purpose. What is the point to sitting around? What are we accomplishing, and who are we impacting? So, while I’m still appreciating the time, and not necessarily ready to go back yet, the anxious energy is starting to set in. This is true for my kids, too. They are getting sick of TV, their sleep schedules are all out of whack, and we have explored most of our in-house entertainment options.

You see, I work on a teacher’s salary. Honestly, if it weren’t for having a husband and a second household income, I wouldn’t even be able to pay rent. So, while some of my students will return talking about their Disneyland and Hawaii fall break vacations, I try my best to remain content in my simple fall break, because I also know that many of my students, not only couldn’t afford to go anywhere or do anything, they also didn’t have parents at home to facilitate any type of entertainment or company. Some of them were up to no good while lacking that supervision. When I return to school, I will smile and tell them how amazing it was to have nothing to do; to just take that time to recharge and lay around.

In the meantime, as my children at home go a little stir-crazy, I will start pulling resources to make an entertaining, yet cheap, fall break. Here’s what we plan to do this week:

• We are going to the drive in movie. In Phoenix, it’s $2 for a child’s ticket to a drive in movie? We will pack blankets, pillows and snacks, and have a cozy night in the trunk.
• We are going to have a garage sale. This takes care of two days of idol hands. The bedrooms get cleaned out and organized, and we spend an entire morning outside getting fresh air and sunshine. I split the money with my kids and then they are so excited to have a little extra spending cash.
• We are going to hit one of the high school pools. It’s still over 100 degrees here in Phoenix, even though it’s early October. Some of the high schools have open pools with water slides, kid toys, lazy rivers, and diving boards. It’s about $1.50 per person. We usually pack a lunch and have hours of fun.
• We are going to paint pumpkins. If we carve them this early, they will rot before Halloween. It’s best to leave them whole and make a fun afternoon out of painting them. If you do decide to paint pumpkins, just remember to prime them first – apparently you can use Modge Podge to do this – that’s what I learned this year.
• We are going to go out to eat. Don’t laugh, but kids eat free at Denny’s every Thursday. We love Denny’s for that reason. We may also take an afternoon and split a pizookie at BJs, or visit a fancy cookie or cupcake store.
• We are going to get some Halloween costume shopping, and fall clothes shopping out of the way. It’s a fun day to just spend time hanging out around the mall – even if we do end up just window shopping. We will make sure we stop by Sees and get a sample.
• We are going to invite friends over. A day in which my children are entertained by their friends, is a day that I can spend doing things that I need to do.

We will also continue to do regular family things: board games, movie nights, baking together, and taking walks together. These are just extra things that we have time for while taking a break from school. I try not to take this time for granted. I know that when that gradebook reopens, I’ll be wishing for Christmas break.