Trying to Organize the Plate

          I finished my summer research course yesterday, which I'm totally pumped about, but I still have a lot of work ahead of me.  The summer part of the year-long research course is really just an introduction to the research part and a way of identifying an area of study.  
           I have my area of study identified - peer-tutoring.  I am going to research the impact peer-tutoring has on the students involved.  I hope to see an improvement in academics for both the tutors and the tutees (haha funny word), but I also hope to find that peer-tutoring improves the tutors' leadership skills - their ability to initiate, their confidence and self-esteem, and so on.  We'll see - check back in May!
          So I like checking things off of lists and seeing how far I've come.  I've realized the following:

• 45 pages were written this summer
• 24 / 36 graduate credits have been completed (since last summer!)
• I am 1 / 3 of the way finished with my research course
• I have 100+ pages left to write
• I have 2 semesters left
• There are 269 days left until graduation!

          I know that I am going to be saying this more and more throughout the next few months, but I cannot wait until graduation.  I am looking forward to the work and research I have ahead of me, but life without graduate school is hard for me to picture at this point, so I can't wait to see it again!
           Toby starts his internship this fall which is awesome because he gets real life experience being a guidance counselor in a public school, but a bummer because he has to work weekends and holidays when he isn't interning.  It's going to be a hectic year ahead for the both of us, but we are very grateful that there is an end in sight!
          On a completely different note, school is starting in less than a month, and I have so much to prepare for.  I went back into school today for a couple of hours and have a lot of work ahead of me weeding through the stuff that was left for me in the new 5th grade classroom and getting ready for teaching a new grade.  We are also restructuring to an RTI model, so there are going to be a lot of changes.  I am excited, but also overwhelmed.  I am working on finding ways to make sure my full plate stays organized.  I have a lot on the plate, but I can't let it get all jumbled up into a big mess where I don't know where to start or what to do.