I haven’t slept well in two days.  I know why- I’m too excited/nervous about the first day of school.  When I was growing up, I used to get so anxious that I cried every single September.  Funny when you consider that I was in the same school with the same neighborhood kids every single year of elementary school.  Didn’t matter at all.  Then I became a teacher and I had nightmares about things not going well for weeks before the beginning of the year.  And I cried every September…for the first twenty-five years of my career.  Now, after all of these Septembers, I don’t cry and I don’t have bad dreams anymore; but I still get first-day jitters.

Over the last two weeks, I have put my classroom together so that it is warm and welcoming to the little cherubs that will be coming in just two hours. I have met with my colleagues to plan the first few days; all is prepared and waiting.  I have my new outfit all picked out, and my school bag is packed with everything I need.  Someone should take a photo of me standing by the front door.  So why the butterflies in my stomach??

I think it is the unknowns…how will the kids present today, and each of the 182 days to come? How will the parents behave?  How will my plans go?  How will my colleagues act this year?  How will the principal do?  How will I do?  We are off to a good, solid start- the Superintendent’s speech yesterday gave a rousing reminder to foster creativity and passion in our charges, in spite of the pressure to perform on standardized testing.  I gave him a standing O; I was the only one in the room standing.  Oh well, I felt that speech all the way to my toes. That is exactly what I intend to do; in fact it is what I have always done and I ain’t stopping now.

Some people seem to be able to go with the flow every Autumn.  No apparent butterflies for them.  Teachers who just seem to roll with it, even my ten-year-old neighbor/”rent-a-kid” (that requires an explanation; good topic for another blog) who showed off her new cool sneakers and bookbag; all of them more psyched up than psyched out.  Wish I could be. 

I know it is going to be fine.  I’ve done this before.  But here I am trying to keep my breakfast down, and stay focused.  Well, it’s time to get dressed and get ready to head out.  I will let you know how it goes.