Sunday, August 19, 2018

Back Again!

I am not sure when those first-day-of-school jitters go away, but I can tell you that your second year of teaching is not when it happens.

It has been quite some time since I posted anything. This is mostly because it was summer time and I wanted to take some time to reflect and rest. That is not exactly what happened but I tried. It was a busy summer, to say the least. I can now confirm, from my own experiences, that summer is not all beaches and vacations for teachers. I attended PDs, sat in meetings, and even picked up a job for a while.

Today though, I find myself laying in bed trying not to go over every possibility for how tomorrow could go. My lunch is packed, the dishes are done, my lesson plans are turned in, and activities for tomorrow are printed and copied. I am clearly prepared but the jitters are still there. I still question how prepared I am. I can't stop asking myself if I did everything possible to prepare tomorrow.

At the same time, I feel incredibly tranquil. I get to see 60+ bright new faces ready to start their final year of elementary school. In a few hours, I will be smiling and assuring parents (who probably feel first-day-of-school jitters too) that their precious children are in good hands. From my door, I will get to see teachers experiencing their own first days of school. It is all so exciting.

For a few hours tomorrow, my focus will be on taking care of the students in front of me. I get to forget about the grad school class I will need to sit in later that evening. I get to forget about the readings I need to do for my class on Saturday. I get to forget about the meetings I will need to attend before the end of the week. I even get to forget about the lessons and copies I need to make for the next few weeks. It all just melts away on that first day of school.

Tonight, I want to keep things short (so I can get back to trying to fall asleep). To all those teachers fighting the first-day-of-school jitters, it is going to be amazing! For those teachers who have found a way around those jitters, please tell me the secret! Those that do not teach, send good vibes to all the teachers you know (and maybe a treat too 😇)!

Happy First Day of School

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