BOLD & SAVVY Magazine September-October Issue | Page 4

Thanks for joining us on this journey. We are now at the end of summer vacations and I’m sure emotions are running the gamut.

Parents have been looking at the calendar silently counting down the days until school came back into session.

Teachers may not be looking at the calendar much, unless there was training that needed to take place before school resumed, and they have felt the days of sleeping in drawing to a close.

Students have been having a blast! Eating all they want; spending time with friends and burning a ton of energy trying to pack as much into each day as possible.

No matter where you find yourself on the spectrum, just facing the end of summer can be daunting.

As a parent you may have been happy that the day-to-day of schools and schedules had come to an end for a time. But, now that they children have been home eating everything in sight, growing out of their clothes and demanding more of your time, you are eagerly anticipating the first day of school.

Some teachers have the option to spread their pay over the entire year so that when summer arrived, even though they were not in the classroom, they continued receiving a paycheck. Others who are not getting paid and have found creative ways to budget and thrive through the summer break may be eager, or even anxious, to get back to their normal; pouring in to a classroom full of eager learners while getting paid to do so.

I have found that many teachers pay out of pocket to decorate their classrooms and to provide extra items just in case a student may be in need at the beginning of the year. These teachers may be spending their summers doing fundraisers and/or perusing sales brochures to see where the best deals may be had.

In the meantime the students have been making and creating memories which will become material for the essay during the first week of school which may be entitled: My Summer Vacation.

Wherever you may be on this spectrum, my hope is that you are enjoying each day and making the most of your time.

Life is a gift, or a present, which I think should be treasured and enjoyed. Even if you have health concerns, take a look around and begin to count your blessings. You may be surprised with what you come up with.

You may not have found yourself in any of the categories I mentioned but summer for you can be a way of preparing as well. This could be a time of reflection and introspection where you may even come to the conclusion that you may be able to help someone along their life's journey.

If there is a school near you, you could consider adopting a classroom and providing school supplies. Or, you may call the school to see what their greatest needs are and try to help to fulfill some of those needs.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Happy Summer!

You may follow me on Twitter @carolcbailey .

Here We Go....

By Carol C. Bailey