Wednesday, September 4, 2013

First Days

First days of school aren't my favorite. Don't get me wrong. I love the reunions with smiling former students, I enjoy the tingle of excitement in the air, and I almost always cry during the Seniors' parade of flags during Opening Ceremonies. (Yes, this year, too.) But first days also signal the final shift, the solidifying that last year really is now last year. Those 8th graders are out of my classroom forever. Friends who left in June for good truly are not here anymore. And I have to start over training in a whole bunch of 6th graders to my classroom procedures and expectations. First days are grand, they're necessary and right, but they're not my favorite.

My favorite school days come four weeks in. When I've mastered all the new students' names and feel comfortable to shoot hoops with them in the fresh fall air. When the bus schedule is finally worked out to accommodate all kind of special circumstances and no more students get left behind at wrong bus stops. When talking of classroom procedures has finally fully given way to talking about history and our place in it. When I experience freedom to stop performing and to truly start relating. That's when it starts to get good. :-)

with the new M.S. Principal

1 comment:

jake said...

You and Joy both look beautiful!