Skip to main content

September...Back to school

Solar eclipses, convocation, teacher work days, school supplies, Hurricane Harvey, first days, new school, gas shortages, Labor day, another hurricane...Yikes!

It's truly been a whirl wind around here, (no pun intended with the hurricanes)!  As I am sure you have heard it before...there's no tired, like a teacher tired, at the beginning of the new school year. The non-stop work, as both a teacher and a mom with 4 kiddos, that back to school time entails, is exhausting...emotionally and physically. Like with other September posts, I always remark that August goes by in such a blur, September hits you like a brick wall, making you wonder how you got here.

It's been a true month of adjustments around here.  Some of us have had a better start than others. Bailey and Savannah are off to another great start at O'Connor High School.  Bailey's thrilled as a senior to only have half days, thanks to working so hard academically over the years.  He's taking all but one AP courses, so it's almost more like a freshman semester in college for him.  He took the ACT yesterday and takes a 2nd try at the SAT next week (although his first score of a 1240 is not to shabby!).  College offers and interest are constantly coming in, but Alabama remains his first choice. Savannah is taking her very first AP course this year and is loving it so far.  She's a little firecracker with school.  She works hard and loves every minute of it.

Jonas started middle school at Garcia, but is not quite loving it yet.  Actually, it's been a pretty harsh start for him.  Breaks my heart a bit...school has always been his thing.  I just hope he can find a way to love it again.  Because Garcia is our home campus, there aren't any kids he really knows in his classes.  Carson kids go to two other middle schools.  It's starting from scratch for him.  He's happy to have made a few friends in each class already, but he's surprised by the fact that he misses me so much.  This is his first year not on the same campus as me in 7 years!!  He told me he took me for granted!

Lorelei and I are finally settling into 5th grade at Carson.  We have some serious growing pains to start our year!  On the first day of school I had 29 students!  By Thursday we were told, relief was coming, as we were adding another 5th grade class.  I was thrilled to find out a great co-worker and friend was moving up from 1st grade to fill the spot.  Last week was our first week with the 5 of us!

Attempting photos of the eclipse!



Convocation sets an exciting tone for back to school!  Very inspiring!



Teachers really do run on coffee!


First day of school...6th grade!


Mr. Kline is happy to have another Boyen! I think...😉
5th grade...
 First day for my student teacher and me!


 My 10th grader...

I didn't see Bailey till bedtime...but here he is...A senior!


Labor day allowed us to sneak in one last pool day!


A little taste of fall weather last night at the Family Game night in Old Town Helotes!


I'm feeling like things are settling in for us, so we can start to enjoy the month of September.  We've had a nice bit of cooler weather, giving us a taste of what fall will bring.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Back-to-school 2024

  I've been avoiding writing again. If I write about back-to-school, I must admit how hard things have been.  My heart has been broken by the harsh reality that my children are grown up. Being a teacher during back-to-school is easy for me. I'm a pro at that. My ELA buddy teacher even told me I could do it in my sleep. But facing the challenges of parenting young adults making major life transitions pulls at my heartstrings.  This school year, I only have two active students right now, and Bailey is in the works for a return to Texas Tech in the Spring semester. Lorelei started back first. She's a Senior! She had her first college visit at the beginning of August and most likely her last! She loved Texas State.   This was followed by Senior pictures.  We grabbed some sushi from our favorite restaurant after.  Then it was Senior Sunrise and the first day of school for her.  My first days back were great. I always enjoy reuniting with my team and We...

Chasing fireflies...Spring of 2024

In April, while in Austin, I was enchanted to see an abundance of fireflies in Savannah's backyard. It brought tears to my eyes, not only because I find fireflies (or lightning bugs as we called them in the Midwest) intriguing and nostalgic, but because it was so fitting for where the Boyen Bunch is in life right now. After several attempts of "chasing" these fireflies with my camera, I captured a picture of one bright one lit up. Nature imitates life. The milestones my kids are reaching this spring are life-changing! The idiom chasing fireflies means chasing dreams, moments, and experiences that are captivating and elusive. We have two graduates this year. Savannah graduated from UT and Jonas graduates today from Comm. Arts HS. The moments this spring are fleeting, just like the light of a firefly. Here one moment and gone the next... I have referred to May as Mayhem for years (not claiming the idea, just saying I've been using this term for a bit). I have many previ...

Roaring 20s~Boyen Bunch Style!

Is it just me, or were your 20s the best time in your life? The things I did in my 20s were memorable, adventurous, and not too crazy, but life-changing.   Here's my 20's list of accomplishments: I graduated from college with a BAE and an M.Ed.  I got my first real job (and three more teaching jobs to follow). I got married. We had the best time exploring the world together.  I moved more times than I can count, from Florida to Denver, to Houston, to finally settling and buying our first house in San Antonio. I was active: biking, hiking, snowboarding, playing tennis, and more. I made so many meaningful friendships and connections. I had not one but two kids! I had both Bailey and Savannah in my 20s!  I sure squeezed a lot into that decade. Looking back now, I cherish those years. But you know what maybe even a little more fun? Reliving your 20s at 50+ with your young adult kids.  Savannah has been living it up! She got a job she loves, her own place, and many g...