The Students Are Coming!

"It is today that your best work can be done and not some future day or future year"

-Author Unknown

The first days of school are a little bit different for everyone. Parents, depending on the age of their children, may experience anything from unrivaled joy at having peace and quiet return to their house for at least part of the day to overwhelming anxiety at dropping their pre-schooler off for the first time. Students are often excited about reuniting with friends that haven't been as present over the summer months while also being a little bummed that the carefree summer season is over. As an educator, I don't think there is any other day on the calendar that has me more excited about what I do. For me, the first day of school is what keeps me going.

1. Anything is possible- On the first day of school, everyone has a clean slate. Every student has the opportunity to have the best year ever. Every teacher has the opportunity to have the best year ever. The possibilities are endless. In all areas of life, new beginnings are exciting, and I will say that one positive to summer vacation (I may get into a balanced calendar at a later date) is the fact that it allows students and teachers to hit the reset button every year.

2. Energy is high- Maybe because of the excitement that comes with #1, the first few weeks of school have an energy about them that can't really be replicated at other points in the year. As a teacher, I was always full of ambition for changes I had planned or new units I would be teaching for the first time. The first days of school have a sense of novelty that can wear off a bit as the year progresses.

3. Learning is front and center- One thing I've noticed in working around students is that for many of them, school is a social club where they are often inconvenienced with learning objectives. Once the school year gets into full swing, it is easy to become distracted by the sports calendar, school dances, plays, concerts, and a myriad of other very positive and exciting events. However, in the first days of school, there aren't many of those things going on yet. Fall sports are just starting to get underway and Homecoming festivities are still out on the horizon. In the first days of school, students and teachers are spending time laying out the plans for what learning will happen during the semester or year. During the first days of school, almost everything is geared toward preparing to learn.

As I come to the end of my first summer as a building principal, I understand why my former principal always talked about disliking summer. As a teacher, I couldn't understand it. How could he not like having a quiet building without distractions and the ability to focus on one task for a prolonged period of time. After about a week and a half of being the principal of an empty building, I understand it. Schools are for learning. Schools are for students to make (an appropriate amount of) noise with their friends in the hallways and learn how to be part of a larger community. Schools are for assemblies to celebrate accomplishments. Schools are for laughter and breakthroughs and questions and music and all of the noises that mean we are living and improving. My challenge to anyone who works in education is to keep these three items in mind and work every day to keep them just as fresh at the end of May as they are here in the beginning of August. I'm ready to get back to school. Who's with me?