Saturday, September 03, 2016

The Calm Before the Storm

Literally.  It’s Saturday morning on Labor Day Weekend and the remnants of hurricane Hermine are headed our way.  Right around the same time the worst of the storm is expected to turn up, we have our first day of school with all of the children back in the halls. 

In a way, both will take their toll.  I’m ready for the storm, which isn’t expected to be all that horrible in my neck of the woods.  As for the return to school, I’m also ready.  More than that, I'm eager to see kids and start the learning.  This year, we have a new schedule and it’s a huge departure from the previous, complete with block periods and rotating days.  I’m excited for the change, though a little nervous (of course).  I’ll teach 6th and 7th graders and I’m looking forward to that challenge.

I’m not looking forward to the way that the return to school kicks my backside, but after more than 20 years of teaching, I know that September's exhaustion won’t last.  Before I left school on Friday, I set up my lessons for the next few weeks, wrote “welcome back” on the board, and generally paused to reflect on the expectant air in the hallways.  The first day of school, with its buzzing excitement, clean lockers, crisp new clothes, and fresh school supplies never gets old for me.


That’s happy!

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