School's....out....for summer!

It's TRUE! IT FINALLY HAPPENED! Yesterday was the last day of school. Yesterday was the last day of kids asking "Mrs. Miller you can tie my shoes?" or "Mrs. Miller I can use the bathroom please?" And my responding "Can you? Well, let's try this: May I use the bathroom, please?" Aw. Kiddos. As an ESL teacher, I was so proud of my student's progress this year. This was my first year in kindergarten, and seeing kids who literally spoke ZERO English, and now speaking forcefully in sentences is incredible! What a job. What a life. 

Unfortunately, I won't be working summer school this summer. I am sad about this. I enjoyed doing it last year, and of course the extra money was a great perk. I have a side job "personally training" someone; aka showing them around the gym and power walking with them a couple of times a week. Therefore, my summer is suddenly WIDE open with possibility. These possibilities include running with some people I rarely get to run with (If you're reading this, that just might mean YOU!), cross training seriously (Instead of 20 panicked minutes of swimming in the morning, I can spend a leisurely hour lap swimming!), posting meaningful health and fitness blogs, and getting my house insanely clean and organized. 


I'll start the summer with a story I've been meaning to write about. My after school students know the tell tale signs of when Mrs. Miller is running home from work: no work bag (Friend brings it home), iPhone is in an arm band case, GPS watch gets placed by a window 15 minutes before class ends etc. They began questioning me about how my watch works, how far I run, how long it takes me, and a million other questions. I began sharing one photo a day from a run or of Lambeau Puppy as an incentive for good behavior. One student in particular, who has had very difficult circumstances and as a result is very challenging for every teacher they have been with, took particular interest in my running. I run by their house on my usual runmmute route, and they were always playing soccer and would say "Hi Mrs. Miller!" It always pushed me. 


My last run home from work was special. This aforementioned student saw all the telltale signs; watch, iPhone case, no bag. They asked, "Are you running home Mrs. Miller?" I responded that I was because it was finally cool enough to be safe to run home. I dismissed the students, changed, and left school with several coworkers wishing me well, encouraging me, and making me smile. I rounded the corner, started my watch, and began my runmmute. About halfway down the block, I saw that student waiting on their bike. As I approached, we did the usual hellos, but this time was different. This time, they began riding their bike along side me to the end of the block. This was maybe one minute's worth of running. When we came to the end of the block I said, "Now be careful, don't ride in the street. Have a great day." The student responded, "Ok Mrs. Miller. Have a good run home." It melted my heart. It was said with such conviction. I'll keep that moment with me for the rest of the summer. I hope I made a positive difference in their life, and I hope that someday they will find something, whether biking, running, or soccer, that will do for them what running does for me. 

What are your summer plans?! Do you live in NYC? Let's yoga! Let's run! Are you interested in Kettle bells?! If you don't live in NYC, I'd love to hear your summer plans too! TELL ME ABOUT IT!


129 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!