Well, this has pretty much been the best break ever. We all learned to sleep in, I spent a ton of time with the children, I was happy and relaxed for the holidays. Basically, it could not have been better, even considering the 24 stomach bug I endured yesterday.

Now, it's time to get back to reality.

I have a ton of work to do. It's really an astounding amount of work. I'll start it a bit today, and I'll finish it every second of every hour of every day for the next two-and-a-half weeks. Then finals come, and it's another re-set.

Truth be told, that's probably one of the best things about being a teacher: there are all of these stops and starts that provide natural opportunities to assess and make changes.

Let's keep learning, peeps! It's going to be a great year, I'm 95% sure.