which secretly bring me much joy.
No matter how many boxes of crayons I own,
I cannot pass up a .25 purchase.
The long minutes, struggling to get myself out of bed,
knowing that my summer sleep schedule
needs to be reset.
5:45 is damn early.
The countless hours spent outside of my contract time
hanging posters, cleaning files, rearranging desks,
in order to create a feng shui environment
(for me and the students).
The frantic rush that surges through my veins
as I sit in meetings thinking,
"I have other things to do!".
I generally tend to miss key details because of this
preoccupation.
The finishing touches that can't quite get done
because the laminator needs more film,
the copy machine is broken,
there is no more toner in the printer,
oh yeah, and we ran out of paper.
But the show must go on.
The butterflies of excitement and nerves that comingle and
prevent quality sleep.
No matter that this is my 13th year -
I still get the back to school jitters.
What will my students be like?
Will my schedule work well for me?
Do I have a time built in where I could actually go to the bathroom
without leaving my class unattended?
The anticipation of what is to come,
with new schedules, more students than expected,
and air conditioning that will hopefully work.
The knowledge that I am part of a team -
a huge organism that works together to provide a
safe, intellectually engaging environment for all kids,
mixed with my gratitude to have amazing colleagues.
The flexibility and grace my job requires -
never quite knowing if the bells will work,
or the busses will be on time,
or if everyone will be able to eat in 26 minutes.
These are the thoughts racing through my mind as the new year begins.
I think if I ever realize I am not this enthusiastic/frightened/nervous/anxious/jittery before school starts,
I should have retired the year before.
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| I still know how to have a bit of fun with my lunchbox! |
