Happy Labor Day, friends! Hopefully, you’ve spent today lounging around instead of laboring away, especially since it is the last unofficial day of summer. That’s right! For so many of you, today is likely the day before school resumes and vacations end. It’s likely the last day you’ll get to sleep in and spend more hours than you’d like to admit on the couch binge-watching your favorite series. And it’s likely the last day you’ll get to swim in the pool before it closes for the year. Today marks a lot of endings and quite a number of beginnings, namely the start of a new chapter in your life. Whether you’re going back to school or heading back to work, this next phase brings with it a host of excitement and maybe even anxiety. Just getting closer and closer to my own first day of graduate school, I can’t help but feel those same first day/next step jitters. I think it’s normal when you enter the unknown–a new space filled with some new people, new challenges, and new celebrations, all of which you can’t even fathom. It can be frustrating, uncomfortable, and maybe even scary. Maybe you’ll start to doubt yourself and your ability. Question whether or not you belong. Wonder whether or not you can handle the rigor, the professors, the peers, the colleagues, the boss, the work itself. I know I have.
Tag: back to school
Friday Findings: My 10 School Essentials
photo credit: Robert Coates
Happy happy Friday, friends, and what a glorious day it’s been! Today I had a chance to stop over at my old school and see some of my favorite former students as they prepare for their first day of school this coming Tuesday. So many bright faces and so much energy filled the halls as they set up their lockers. I kind of miss those days, or at least the idea of a locker space–a place to call your own and store your belongings so you’re not lugging your entire life around with you wherever you go. Cherish it, people! I imagine the closest thing to that would be having an office, but what about those college and graduate students who don’t have such a luxury? I suppose we have no choice but to bring our essentials, and today, I’m sharing my own! What are yours? Comment below!
Thoughtful Thursday: 6 Tips for a Great School Year
Happy Thursday, friends! It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since I’ve been a student, and since graduating from graduate school (the first time around), I’ve now spent those five years in between on the other side as a teacher. With every new school year there comes a similar level of anxiety and excitement about what it will bring, and in those moments, I can’t help but ask myself: Will I get through the curriculum? Will my students enjoy themselves and learn the material? Will I finally strike that work-life balance? And while I’m just a few short weeks away from returning to the classroom as a student, I find myself asking similar questions: Will I learn a lot? What kind of learner am I? Will I form meaningful relationships with my professors and peers? Do I remember how to study? Will I finally conquer procrastination and complete my assignments to the best of my ability? It’s so easy to get bogged down with feelings of doubt, fear, and anxiety. After all, change is never easy. Luckily, there are things we can do to help ease the transition. Here are a few tips I’ve shared with students in the past as a teacher and will now be reminding myself of as a student. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too!
Tuesday Tunesday: Back to School Party
Happy Tunesday, friends! I’m sure we’ve all heard Alice Cooper’s 1972 hit “School’s Out,” right? Epic guitar riffs combined with Alice Cooper’s passionate vocals make us more and more excited to end the school year and enjoy summer break. What about “After Today” from A Goofy Movie? A class Disney tune that truly captures what’s so great about leaving school behind for the summer. With so many songs like “School’s Out” and “After Today” that celebrate this long-awaited, much-needed, and well-deserved respite, I can’t help but wonder if there are any songs that pump us up for a new academic year? I know so many of you have already started or are preparing to head back this week or next. In fact, I’m also returning to school (graduate degree number TWO) at the end of September, and I think we could all use a moment to not only mourn summer’s end, but also–and more importantly–celebrate the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Now, I’m going to be honest, finding back to school songs to pump us up proved to be more difficult than I imagined, but I eventually found some that I hope will at least inspire and empower us as we return to school. Whether you’ve got first-day jitters or question your ability, there’s a song for practically every occasion. Here’s to an incredible school year!
Kermit Says: Get (Back) Into the Swing of Things
Image Source: http://bit.ly/1QqiCVD
Just two weeks ago, I was lounging on a sunny, sandy, white beach in Florida with my sisters blasting music, people watching, sunbathing—we were pretty much living the life, and I imagine your Spring Break was pretty similar. Whether you were traipsing around Rome, binge-watching your favorite Netflix shows, or perfecting the fine art of doing absolutely nothing, I hope you had a fantastically relaxing and rejuvenating break. Unfortunately, as the old adage goes, good things must come to an end, and so it has. School is back in session, and I can hear the moans and groans from here to Australia. Students have already begun to complain about the number of assignments they’ve received, and seniors have cried in frustration and deflation over the number of rejection letters. We’re in a difficult space where students (and adults) are yearning to play outside in the warm air rather than sit passively in a classroom. Where ice cream truck tunes are drowned out by teachers’ lectures. Where sounds of beach waves are overshadowed by the tap, tap, tapping of fingers against a keyboard. We are physically in school, but mentally–and perhaps emotionally–still lounging and daydreaming on our own sandy beach. For a fairly smooth transition from spring break to spring semester, here are some tips to help you get (back) into the swing of things!
Kermit Says: This Is The Start of Something New
Image Source: http://tinyurl.com/pkqru4d
Kermit Says… is back, and we missed you all terribly! My team and I hope you had a fantastic summer and we’d love to hear all about it, so feel free to reminisce about your favorite parts and send them in so we can live vicariously through you!
Now, whether you returned to school nearly a month ago or, you’re like me, and it’s only been one week, summer vacation is o.v.e.r and a new school year has officially begun. I know, I know, no more days where you’re late-to-go-to-bed-and-late-to-rise. No more afternoons at the beach. No more ice cream until your brain freezes—well, maybe not that last one. The end of summer vacation means the end of a lot of fun things, but if we remain positive and optimistic, then this new academic year could mean the start of something new (yes, that was a High School Musical reference).
All jokes aside, a new school year provides another chance to be your best self. Heck, it’s a chance to reinvent yourself altogether. A new school year is like the first snow—completely untouched, fresh, new, pure, and ready for you to do with it what you will. You can either watch it from a distance and let it ruin your moment or you can make a plan of attack and (literally) dive in. How will you approach this new school year? What goals do you want to achieve? Where would you like to see yourself by the end of the quarter, semester, or year? Comment below or send an email to contactkermitsays@gmail.com.
Let’s make this new school year BETTER than the last!
