another first day

August 11, 2008

It always happens. Summer flies by. Lazy days end. Bedtimes come earlier. Soap replaces chlorine. Stores stock more pencils, paper, and crayons. And another school year starts.

There’s an unspoken nervousness that parents, teachers and children share. Parents watching their babies grow a year older. Children wondering if they’ll like the teacher, whose desk will be next to theirs, and who they’ll play with at recess. Teachers nervous about parents, new kids and whether it will be possible to love this class as much as they did the last.

It always happens like that. At least for me.

The the first day that I taught my first class changed my life and after that year was over I was sure I’d never have another class like them. And I haven’t. Thank the precious Lord for that. Still, they taught me how to be a better teacher and how to make it work when all odds are stacked against you.

And I have.

I’ve taught in trailers and offered to teach in broom closets just to be next to kids. I’ve taught orphans and twins and wanna be thugs. I’ve taught in a room with no air or heat and I’ve killed cock roaches galore. I’ve run into halls that were too full with kids that are too wild when winds were too high for our trailer to stand. I’ve had not-so-polite offers to send me heavenward early. And I’ve taught in a foreign country where the best affirmation I can give parents is nods, hugs, and notes that end with smiley faces.

And tomorrow it all starts again. It’s another first day. Parents are nervous. Colombian children are nervous. I am nervous, but I am meant for this.

So, First Day, here I come.

A special thank you to Dr. Clif Mims, one of my former professors and an educational genius. Dr. Mims continues to encourage me to grow professionally, gives me opportunities to write for his blog, and offers invaluable answers to all of my teacher questions. Watch his blog for my next contribution to his 1 Thing series.

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