Lau AlexandraI heard the name “the -BER months” for the first time this year. It was February or March, and I was in my traditional winter slump, made even worse by a particularly stressful school year that seemed to have no end in sight.
To try getting over the winter blahs, I found some Christmas podcasts to listen to in the hopes that they’d bring me some joy. Altogether I binged five or six, and not only did they help a little bit to lift my spirits, but they also introduced me to this idea of the “-BER Months”.
It’s so simple once you learn it: September, October, November, December…the -BER months!
And just like that, there was a name for my favorite time of year!
It seems like as a teacher, my favorite time of year should unequivocally be summer. And don’t get me wrong- I look forward to the end of June with the same fervor I look forward to my Monday night pizza dinner tradition (I CRAVE IT!).
But there’s still something about September through December that really has my heart.
As a grade school student, I loved summer, but I also always looked forward to the first day of school. Beginning in mid-August, I would lay out my new supplies and clothes and survey the spread, planning outfits and thinking about which Cuddly Cuties or Lisa Frank folder would be paired with each Mead 5-Star notebook. I couldn’t wait to see friends I hadn’t seen since June, and get back into the clubs and activities I loved.
Once the new school year excitement began dwindling, the magic of the -BER months would pick up: the fall breeze gradually replacing the summer wind, Halloween and harvest decorations coming out, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the ensuing feast of bounty, and of course, the piece de resistance…the Christmas season!
As an educator, the start of a new school year is now, for me, the most anxiety-producing part of the -BER months (and really, of the whole calendar year). However, my excitement for fall and those first few whimsical days of winter leading up to Christmas Day has just gotten stronger. No matter how stressed I get at work, I refuse to let it dampen the magic of the -BER months.
Now, if we could just get this damn humidity out of the air and bring on the September sunshine and early fall breeze, I would be eternally grateful!
🗺Blydenburgh County Park, Smithtown
What’s your favorite time of year? Let me know in the comments, or on today’s Insta post, up later this afternoon (@teach.explore.repeat)! Stay tuned for the next blog post, all about fall beverages, coming soon!
‘til next time,
Lau
