Ah, summer, when procrastination hits… hard.   Sprinkle in the unexpected life moments, and it’s easy to end up right where I am now… feeling overwhelmed and unaccomplished. It’s summer! I’m supposed to be rejuvenating and getting refreshed for the upcoming school year.

Even though the last day of school was June 4th, my summer vacation never really got going. I had the incredible experience of being a co-facilitator for summer workshops on using Google tools in the classroom. (Teaching teachers can sometimes be tougher than middle school.)  My summer vacation wasn’t quite in full swing, but I did manage a few visits to the beach where I created my summer To Do lists (yes – plural).   It was easy to add task after task to my lists. I had a list for things I wanted to learn:  read Teach Like a Pirate and Make It Stick, participate in Newseum’s Teacher Institute, become a Google for Education Certified Trainer, and possibly start on that doctorate degree.  A list for things I want to create: this blog, new lessons for next year, design new classroom bulletin board, TPT materials, screencasts and presentations for using Google tools, and get the itinerary for this year’s big field trip out of the draft stage. And then there’s the list for home… (We won’t even mention that one!)

What have I checked off those lists? So far this summer, I have read parts of those two books that I swore I would be finished reading by July 4th, and I am just starting my blog which I was going to have published even earlier.  I’ve dabbled in a few of the other items on my ever-growing list, but nothing is complete.

Yep, today’s date coupled with my “get ready for next year to-do lists” nearly gave me a panic attack right on the massage table.  (I’m sure the therapist appreciated the extra tension that suddenly crept up my neck.)

Instead of sitting static, I’m going to roll with the changes, not dwell on “I should have…” and just move forward. Plus, deadlines do a funny thing to me; they give me energy. Tomorrow, I head to DC for the Newseum’s Teacher Summer Institute which has me totally excited, so I know that will increase my motivation even more.

Embracing the summer slump surely provided me with something I needed, but now I’m officially kicking it out of my life!