24: Twas the Eve Before School

Although I started on Monday, tomorrow is what I consider the FIRST day of the school year. This is YEAR 27 for me—good grief! That means if I add all my first days of school up it would equal over a month of work. Big yikes!

Let’s continue with the math. If I average 23 kids per year, which sounds about right, that amounts to about 620 students in my classrooms. I have taught in only 1 school, and I’ve taught in four classrooms. I’ve worked for only 2 principals. For my school, stability has been the norm; yes, I am very lucky. When I began teaching in 1999 (in a different millenium), I didn’t own a cell phone. A tube TV hung in the corner of the room. 9/11 hadn’t happened. Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguliera was the top song—not my cup of tea. The 3rd Harry Potter book had just come out. Really?!?

I love teaching, but I often wonder what might lie beyond the insulated walls of an elementary school. When in the throes of teaching, the outside world seems so far away. Someday I’ll find out what it feels to work outside of education, but I’m not ready. I like what I do.

I often hear others say things such as, “I could never teach. I’d lose my everloving mind.” NEWSFLASH: I do, too. Still, I love how I will be a positive influence in a little person’s life. Even though they be but little, they are fierce…and maleable. Plus…Every. Single. Year. Matters. It matters to a six year old as much as it matters to a fifty-six year old. Will I be their favorite teacher ever? Probably not—I’m a teacher at the beginning of their journey. Plus, I pray each kid has a bounty of teachers they remember fondly.

Tomorrow at 7:40 I will greet each child at my door, sort school supplies, read a couple of books, and make sure each kid realizes that I’m there for them for 180 days. Let’s do this thing!