I guess it could be worse; if I taught in Plano, I'd only have two days left, so I suppose I should count my blessings. But still, I'm just not ready for school to start, even as I see the proverbial ball about to start rolling again. Here are the things I'm not ready for yet:
Waking up at 6 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Going to ten different schools a week, instead of having everyone come to me.
Having less than a full hour for lunch (sometimes as little as fifteen minutes).
Wearing long pants in 90-degree weather.
Wearing shoes indoors, period.
Teaching twelve-hour days four times a week instead of just twice.
Teaching people who are only taking lessons because their parents make them (these people almost never do summer).
Dealing with crowded parking lots, school security issues, and the occasional (and I stress occasional here) band director's ego.
Being wiped out at the end of every day.
Now, in all fairness, here are the things I am ready for:
Teaching everyone in my studio every week, and getting paid for same.
The pre-Region Jazz jam sessions at Casa de Kev.
Watching my top students compete and succeed, developing a deep love for music in the process.
Hmm...the lists seem a bit unbalanced, with the biggest "plus" being financial. That makes sense, I guess. I really need the summers to "recharge" a bit, and it's worth the lower pay to not beat my brains into the ground for a few months.
Still, I'm really not ready for this summer to be over. It's been a summer like no other, but it's just flown by (I think the month of June lasted all of about 20 seconds). At any rate, I'm going to enjoy the rest of this summer like no other, hanging with my friends every day if I can and just wringing every moment out of these next few weeks. Thankfully, there are two more weeks after that before college starts, and while a lot of those afternoons off will be devoted to helping Halfling get ready for lab band auditions at UNT, I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time.
So even though I'll eventually "make my peace" with my fall schedule, I really hope I get to be a full-time college professor in the next few years. I get spoiled every summer at Jazz Camp when I get to stay in one place all day for a week; I could definitely get used to that on a long-term basis. Perhaps the new practice routine will pay off in that respect before too long; if an audition comes up anytime soon, I'm already more prepared than I would have been in any recent year.
I think I'll get more sleep than usual tonight. Today was a long teaching day, but fun commences again tomorrow.
Venus vs. Mars, the sequel: The other day, I posted an amusing item that I got from James's site that featured "the rules" from a guy's standpoint. Today, James has another one in a similar vein. It's not as laugh-out-loud funny as the original one, but it should still elicit a smile.
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