30 of 31: Today Was a Strange Day

Today was a strange day. Thunder peppered my morning commute providing a lovely soundtrack for my drive along with the hypnotic droning of my windshield wipers. Heavy gray clouds filled every one of my second floor classroom windows. By the time students arrived, the rain had tapered off, but the morning was still dark.

By first lunch, the sun poked his lazy head out from behind those clouds and seemed to demand our attention. I could finally turn off one of my classroom lights and still have enough natural light and overhead light for students to work comfortably.

By third lunch, tree branches were whipping and the sun retreated behind another barrage of spring storm clouds. Slanted rain captivated my students attention as they stood before the windows watching sheets of rain slap against the roof. Quietly they stood, just observing in wonder how they had been lucky enough to go outside for recess and relishing the fact that the eighth graders would not.

I lost track of the weather during my planning period. Probably because I was staring at my computer screen the entire time trying to catch up on emails, to make Google classroom updates, to read my students' slices and encourage them to stick with it for two more days, and to update students' grades in the online gradebook. The term ends tomorrow.

After school, I walked into my book club meeting with my rain jacket on and walked out with it tucked under my arm squinting and shading my eyes from the sun with my hand. Yep. It was that kind of day.

The kind that takes you on the ups and downs of spring storm. Teasing you one minute with the sun only to send you into a stupor with the rain the next minute.

When I pulled into my driveway, I noticed the lime green weeds that sprouted from the cracks of my driveway and wondered if they had just come up to say hello sometime today. I marveled at my bright technicolor lawn that would need its first mowing very soon if the rain keeps up. The vivid colors after the winter months never fail to amaze me.

I love spring with its unpredictable surprises.

Today was a strange day, but at least tomorrow's Friday!