This is a strange summer.
I mean, let’s be real, everything is strange. But this is a different sort of summer for me.
What’s the best thing about being a teacher? June, July, and August. That was a joke I first heard from my 9th grade English teacher Mr. Weinberg. I shadowed Mr. Weinberg before being admitted to the teacher education program at the University of Minnesota. Mr. Weinberg was a good teacher. And he really did enjoy June, July, and August. Most teachers do. Last I heard, Mr. Weinberg bought a winery in Southern France. I hope he’s still there.
I have enjoyed June, July, and August over the last twenty-five years. And I’m still enjoying this July. But there has been no break. My term as department chair started on July 1st. I spent much of June transitioning into this administrative role.
This June, July, and August, for the first time in a long time, have been characterized by work, work, and more work. This is new for me.
Strange.
***
This summer hasn’t been entirely devoted to work. My wife Katie and I spent some time in South Carolina a few weeks ago. This was our first vacation without our children in 15 years. In negotiating this trip with our sons Solomon and Samson, we offered them a short vacation to Colorado.
Next Friday, we’ll drive to the Eastern Iowa Airport before the rooster crows. (When do roosters crow?). We’ll catch a direct flight to Denver. We’ve got an AirBNB in the Rockies for a few days. We’ll spend a day in Denver with my friend Ben.
This will be my third trip to Denver since moving to Iowa. I’m becoming something of a Coloradan. Ben is starting a job as a professor in Kansas this fall, and I couldn’t be happier for him. I met Ben the summer before his freshmen year. He was my high school student. I was on Ben’s PhD committee. Over the last twenty years, Ben has become one of the most important people in my life. It’ll be nice to celebrate his new job with him in Denver.
I’m usually a nervous traveler, but I don’t feel all that anxious this week. I’m excited for a weekend in the mountains with my family.
***
Solomon and Samson have never flown in an airplane. I’ll be curious to see if they are anxious.
My first airplane ride came in a single-engine Cessna with Dad. It was terrifying. Many years later, I flew to Colorado with Mom and my stepfather. I was in 9th grade. Jim’s company took its employees on a ski trip. My stepfather was a carpenter. Mom laughed when my eyes got big as the jet sped up on the runway. I was, once more, terrified. I spent the rest of trip flirting (and failing) with a girl who was my age, dreading getting on the plane to fly home.
I hope Samson and Solomon are less anxious flyers than me. Less anxious livers, too. Not like the organ. Like being alive. Being terrified all the time is a waste of energy.
Taking a weekend trip to Colorado with my family is not a waste of energy. Traveling is another gift, and I want to enjoy it.
Samuel Jaye Tanner 