As a young girl, I often met the new school year with both excitement and trepidation. The apprehension I felt was based upon the feeling of losing summer. Summer was freedom from schedules, spending time with relatives and friends, hiking in the woods, getting lost, diving into the lake, playing keep-away in the water, water skiing, camp fires, midnight canoe rides to watch the stars, and freshly caught fish fries. Every autumn, it was difficult to give all of this up. The worst of it was when my father, brothers, and brothers-in-law took the dock out of the water. That was a sure sign that colder weather, and school lurked around the corner.
The excitement came from the anticipation of seeing school friends, meeting new ones, discovering who the teacher might be, and which of my friends would be in class with me.
As a teacher in the classroom, I was always excited to meet the work of setting up my classroom, attending a multitude of meetings (ultimately of no consequence to education), and meeting the families and students who would be sharing my room. It was always exciting! But this year? I wonder, will the feelings be mixed, or will the feeling be uncertainty based upon the years of Covid we have experienced? Are students, teachers, administrators, parents excited about the new year? Or have we learned to meet each new day as it comes; trying to be flexible and not expect too much?
My suggestion would be to handle everything with care and grace. We are still in the midst of the pandemic, most likely have moved through the eye of the storm, but still must experience the continued aftermath. It is my hope that everyone is extra kind and gracious as we continue to work to just figure things out and make them work for our students. Have a great year!
