End of Summer

The End Of Summer 

    Earlier today my son mowed the yard. It's one of his chores and he does a pretty good job. Later in the evening, I called him over to me at the door. "Do you see it?", I said. "What?" he answered. I pointed outside. There on the lovely, just mowed yard, were tiny bits of yellow and brown strewn on the ground. The trees were dropping their leaves. As we watched, more joined the pile beneath the tree, carried by the wind. My son groaned, but I just smiled. This is one of the first signs I normally see that indicates fall is coming! Other signs also began to show up around town this week. The food store had pumpkin spice coffee, and Halloween candy made its appearance by the entrance door. Down another aisle, orange and yellow beckoned, in the shape of wreaths, and pumpkins for decorations. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with teaching. To me, the end of summer is a sign of change, of something new, something different. Sure, summer hasn't been normal. But students are returning to school, even if it is virtually, or in a hybrid situation. It's time for a change, for people everywhere. The promise is there. It's in the leaves.

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.