New Beginnings

Today is the first day of school.

There’s something magical about those words.  The first day of school.  Gosh, that’s five syllables.  I feel a haiku coming on:

The first day of school

New shoes, new clothes, and new friends

The end of summer

Last night, little Bella was so excited about her first day of second grade as she went to bed--she couldn’t contain herself.  She ran around the living room in her fluffy pink robe, rechecking her pencil box, showing off her Hello Kitty backpack, and chanting, “the first day of school, the first day of school.”  I couldn’t help but get caught up in her frenzy.

This morning, children are wondering—who is going to be my teacher? Is my best friend going to be in my class?  Will I meet any new kids?  What are we learning this year?

Believe me, teachers are doing the same thing.  Who will show up and who won’t return to school?  Will my kids work as a group? Will they learn—and retain—everything I taught them?

Oh, I’m going to miss waking up without an alarm clock.  Stacks of paper are going to start to dominate my living room.  And don’t forget that eternal state of exhaustion that hovers over your total state of being. But every September gives us a new beginning.

Every year you get a fresh start.  New teacher, new kids.  Last year you could have been the problem child—this year, who knows?  You get another chance to change your karma.  Same thing goes for teachers, as you have spent the summer thinking about the past year and make plans for retooling.

Yeah, it’s the end of summer, but it’s the beginning of possibilities.