Teacher World

Well, here it is, the last day of July! To most people that probably doesn’t seem very significant, but to teachers everywhere, it marks the last glorious days of summer and the beginning of a new school year to plan for.

Summer is a time to unwind, regroup, and revitalize.  It’s a time to put aside the fast pace and stress that goes along with every school year long enough to enjoy those people who matter most to you and those activities you are unable to find time for during the hectic school year. It’s a time for long walks, sunny beaches, and packing the kids in the car and going on an adventure. Summers, for teachers, is a magical time when anything seems possible, and the world, as we know it, slows down long enough to enjoy the simple pleasures that seem to escape us during the school year.

 I hope you have had a wonderful summer filled with family, friends, new places, and new activities to discover. And I hope you are able to cram in as many more moments as possible before that inevitable first day of school.

We all are distinctly aware that as July days turn to August days there is a shift in our thoughts which ultimately leads to a shift in our activities.  We begin to reflect upon the previous year’s successes and failures in a whole new way. This self-scrutiny and examination will help us make decisions about what we need to improve upon, what we need to do more of, and what we need to drop completely. And we begin to reluctantly head back into the classroom to make it as vibrant, attractive, educationally stimulating, and welcoming as possible. It is a time for creative planning, mapping out the next year, and looking for new and exciting ways to teach the same curriculum.

In its own way, August is an exciting month as you anticipate another year, a new crop of students, and a plethora of opportunities. And each August, I think we all feel that adrenalin rush that comes with new beginnings. As much as I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer vacation, I wish for you a great August and an exciting and wildly successful beginning to a fantastic new school year.

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I’m sitting here the night before a new school year begins. This is always such a bitter-sweet moment for me. I look back nostalgically over a summer spent on so many activities that it has raced by, as always. I feel the sadness as the memories I have carved are added to the memories of all my other vacations. I will miss the sunshine days, the lazier evenings when I did not have to contemplate school work, the magic of family and the joy of being with my grandson. So much to tuck away that it hurts a little. And I, somewhat begrudgingly, adjust my focus from summer back to school.

With an equal measure of excitement and trepidation I have prepared my classroom, put up new bulletin boards, planned lessons and run papers, labeled folders, spelling workbooks, desk plates, and attendance cards. As I write out each new student’s name I can’t help but wonder which ones will blossom, which will need extra tending and nurturing, which will soar and lead the way. Each year marks a new beginning, something that makes education such a great career. No year is ever like the last. This year will have its own challenges and successes; its own highs and lows. And there is no predicting what lies ahead. This unknown element always makes me a little fearful but, at the same time, it is what keeps me energized.

I love the new beginning; the sense of starting over and pulling out tried and true strategies from my teacher’s bag but mixing it up with new techniques. It’s a little like an artist starting out with a brand new pallet. She uses her familiar brush strokes but is always adding something different and surprising so that each piece is unique and worthy. Teaching is like that. Each year is unique and worthy.

I know I will lay awake tonight unable to fall asleep as I anxiously wait to see what tomorrow holds. I always do. I can’t wait for those celebratory moments when I see dawning excitement on a student’s face because something previously hidden is suddenly revealed and learning takes flight. That’s why I am a teacher, that’s why I put up with things I don’t like about my job, and that’s why I know it will be another great year!
Good luck to all of you teachers out there. Have a great year!

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