AWL .....

ABSENT WITH LEAVE.....permanent leave.
It is the official first day of school. It is a week of inservice for teachers. Time to prepare for the onslaught of students next week. There are meetings, workshops, planning periods, collaboration times, classroom prep, and roll sheets to check. It is all happening as I sit at home typing this. When the teachers were starting their first meeting, I was still asleep. In fact, I was still in bed when the teachers were starting their second meeting. No need to set an alarm. I am not going anywhere...at least anywhere that involves a time clock. I have officially begun retirement. The summer was just an extension of what I normally experience so I could not relate to the feelings I would have when the 2011-21012 school year really started without me. Well, here is the verdict..
IT IS GREAT!!!!!!
No need to worry. I am not sad, I do not feel like I have lost my identity, I am not a loss as to how I am going to spend my day. I am embracing the experience. I am at total peace. I am finding that not having a schedule works great. I can decide every morning how I want to spend the day...and it has not been a problem filling the hours.
Yes, North Garland friends, I will enjoy the summer...and the fall, and the winter, and the spring. Have a good school year. The time has come for me to wave as I pass, not park my car.