Back to School

It is absolutely unreal how fast that summer went.  But, I'm glad to be back at school, back in a routine, doing what it is that I love.

And today was a great first day!

Now that it's our third year in our building, I finally feel like I know everyone in it!  I started off my day at breakfast duty, and I loved getting to chat with former students about their summers and getting to introduce myself to new faces.

Then, when the bell rang, it was time to help everyone with their combination locks.  Last year, I think I was 18 minutes late to my first period class due to all of those pesky combination lock issues.  This year, I was only ten minutes late!  And when I walked in, I had thirty students sitting quietly in their seats waiting for me to arrive.

During our (shortened) plan time, the conversation among teachers on my team was very positive, everyone saying that they had a great experience with each of their classes!  Don't get me wrong, we know that there will be challenges, but we have high hopes that this will be great year.

At the end of the day, while on crosswalk duty, I was greeted with many hugs from more non-breakfast-eating students.  It's amazing to see how much they've grown, how their style has changed, how their voices have changed, and to catch up on what's new with them.  I don't know what I'm going to do when this year's 8th graders, who were my first class as a teacher, go off to high school and I no longer have these opportunities to stay in touch with what's going on.

But now, it's off to bed for this tired teacher.  I forget how exhausting the first day of school can be!  I can't wait to jump into the curriculum tomorrow!