A bouquet of freshly-sharpened pencils

One of my favorite lines from the movie "You've Got Mail" is the heroine saying that she loved the fall, and would send the hero a bouquet of freshly-sharpened pencils. My own pencils are rather dull and stubby these days.

I'm not feeling the same kind of nostalgia for fall. I'm not quite ready to go back to school. There are still so many things left to do.

Planning must be done - I have two loose units that I brought home with me at the beginning of summer that need to be tightened up and aligned with the State Standards. There are syllabi that need updating, materials to be created, and supplies yet to be purchased (with my own money, as usual). I know what has to be done. Somehow, though, the enthusiasm for doing it is slow in coming this year.

It could have something to do with not having any blackboards/whiteboards/surface to write on the walls in my current classroom. It could also be generalized dissatisfaction with recent events in my educational sphere. Or it could be that I just need more time to chill.

I'm thinking the last one is closest to the truth. Maybe I'll get a Margarita tonight and tell the WCM to piss off - I'm relaxing. Yeah, that's it. I'll be a teacher again tomorrow. Today, I'll still be an indolent slug.

Or in my case, un escargot paresseux.