UCI Writers Project

By heather on June 21, 2008

“Oh, you must be so excited to summer break.”

“Must be nice being a teacher, summer break and all.”

Don’t you just hate it when civilians assume that just because your students are at camp, you are too?  Once of the things I do love, however, is that summer is a time to hone our skills, become better at our craft, and focus on our own professional growth.  

I got into the UCI Writers’ Project this year.  I’d been invited to apply in the past but had to say no, thank you for two years in a row.  The first year, I just couldn’t afford to not work summer school.  The second time I gave birth to Ben.  So now, here I am, and while I couldn’t afford to not work summer school again, the fact is I felt that I couldn’t afford to not be in a pool of such gifted people.  I needed my brain to be a spa this summer, albeit a really intensive, energy-draining spa.  In fact, it’s more like a gym.  And we all know that going to the gym massages your body in forward-movement, the way attending UCI will massage my neurons.

I’m nervous.  I’m excited.  And I’m hoping that I can live up to the pool of educators that I will be associating with.  The list of speakers is phenomenal.  The selected teachers all range in skills, age, and grade levels.  

So, as I close up shop for the school year, plan Ben’s Traveltown birthday party, and get ready for the in-laws coming into town, I am also preparing for my Voice unit presentation that I will be presenting on the first week.  

It starts on Monday and I am really looking forward to being a student again.  My posts may be fewer and farther between this July, but I will update when I can.

Have a great and rejuvenating summer vacation.