I always smile to myself when I have a medical appointment on a Friday and when I leave, the receptionist says, “Have a good weekend!” I wish her the same, but think to myself, and occasionally tell her, that my weekend doesn’t start until Saturday evening. Of course, it also lasts until Monday after noon.

Saturdays are some of my busiest teaching days. I don’t particularly like it, but some students/families have so many other obligations during the week that Saturday is the only realistic lesson day option. One family with two students owns a restaurant and cannot realistically be gone for more than an hour in the early evening, twice a week. Other families have several siblings whose after-school activities take up time and chauffeur resources.

So, while during the week I start around 3:15 or 3:30 and teach until 7, on Saturdays I start before noon and, for now, end at 4. During the week, I often run an errand or have a medical appointment in the late morning or early afternoon, thus get to be out of the house and amongst them English. Saturdays, I am at home, in the studio, all day it seems. And I end my teaching Saturday with a rather strong desire to get out of the house. Somehow, this makes it easier to at the same time shake off the “teaching” hat and digest lessons.

It has become our habit for Mark to ask me, Saturdays when I am done teaching, “Would you like to go for a little ride?” And I smile and say, “Yes please.” He drives, I mull over – all kinds of things, I tell him stuff that happened in lessons, listen to his feedback, look out the window, sit and be. We usually stop at the Starbucks drive-through for a latte and sometimes a lemon bread. We don’t go to a store or do anything productive. Just drive around. In town, or out to the next town, maybe across the dam watching for eagles or other interesting things.

We may be gone for half an hour, or an hour, and that’s how I start my weekend. 🙂