Half full and Half Empty

Tomorrow I head back to school. One of the good things about being a teacher is that every August, I get the chance to start over. A new school year brings a boatload of freshness with it. To help get myself in the spirit every year, I get a package of cheap Bic pens, cheap Bic Mechanical pencils, and new planner. Oh the joy of a new planner. It's empty no plans or dates, but it just waits to be filled with events of another year. And yes, I do keep them from year to year. I never know when I'll need to look back and see what I did on Tuesday October 14.

I also get to start over with kids. Yes, teachers do develop reputations that preceede them as new students come into the classroom, but for the most part it's a clean slate. I get the chance to start totally fresh. A new year is a chance to be a new teacher. I get to learn from last year's mistakes and triumphs. Things that are repeating get done over and over, but failures can be left in last year's dust. A fresh start brings renewed energy and feeling that this year will be the year i get more right than wrong. This year I have another to chance to make a difference for someone. This year is my year. Each year is different. New kids bring both new joys and new challenges.

That leads me to the glass half empty portion of this post. Each year we have to start over. Totally. Sometimes it seems like just when we get the kids where they need to be, the year is over and we are moving on. (I never mind summer interrupting us though.) We have to learn a new set of kids. we have to once again explain what life is like in our classroom. These kids dont't know what it means to be a student in Mrs. Nix's Language Arts class. It can be hard to start over every year and not have the feeling why don't you guys know this. I just told you how I want you to do things. I already opened your locker 15 times. The bathroom is right there!

But as I head into this new year, I have a determined spirit. I will work hard at seeing the glass half full. I will enjoy this chance to be new. I will be what I need to be. Here goes....