The New Year…so exciting

As the new year draws closer, school year that is, the frantic pace begins. There is nothing quite like the smell of school right before school starts..now I know it sounds weird, but, the floors are waxed, the carpets are cleaned, everything is just all sparkly as the halls await the bustling of students and teachers. Right now at my school, the cleaning is in process, and the teachers are scrambling with borders and classroom decorations. We are planning and preparing as we face the many changes and challenges ahead.

I reflect back to my first days as a teacher, I put my heart, soul and hours into creating the perfect bulletin board, making sure the classroom desks were set just how I wanted them. I had my desk with just the right number of pencils, pens, stickers, stamps, cube calendar, family photos, and much more. My Principal office is no different, after all it is my home away from home. As I enter my 15th year of teaching I am still excited about the first day of school. I am already not sleeping as I plan for the first day with anticipation. I think it’s true teachers never lose their excitement for the first day of school.

Our profession, while it has challenges, is one in which we get a fresh start every year. We get to redecorate, have a new class of students, teach differently, basically we get a new beginning…annually. Being a teacher keeps us young, and let’s face it teaching is not for the faint of heart. You are a superhero, nurse, therapist, scientist, and so much more, and every year you get to reinvent yourself and watch your students’ experience learning a concept for the first time.

So, get out there, get those new shiny borders, create those bulletin boards, walk down those school supply aisles and of course, buy some supplies, because you know, you will have at least one student that will need them.  Decorate your room in a way that is inviting for students, that makes them feel comfortable and relaxed because your classroom is their home away from home too, and many times where they would rather be. The beginning of the year is so exciting…it is a new beginning, a time to reinvent yourself, and for the new teacher, the start of a career; hopefully, a rewarding career that will last for many, many years, so get out there and touch some lives! Make it a great year or not, that choice is yours…make the right choice!