'Twas the Night Before School

'Twas the night before school.... Ok, I'm not feeling creative enough to finish that. As I stare down the last few hours before the first day of school, the same feelings and emotions seem to rattle around my brain every year. I remember when I was a student, the nerves and the excitement bubbling just under a cool, calm, exterior. Laying out the clothing the night before. New, but not too new, trendy, but too trendy. A million thoughts and questions racing through my brain about teachers and classes. I saw that very same look in the eyes of my children tonight.

The start of this year is little different for me as I have a student teacher in my classroom. Student teaching a necessary and productive evil. I've been at this long enough to have forgotten more students than I can remember, but I still remember every little incident from my student teaching experience. I recall stories about kids or about something they wrote. The same events have happened repeatedly over and over through the years, but that first time when a kid "gets it" is a pretty cool feeling and makes you realize you have one of the coolest professions in the world. Although the start of the year is different this time around, all of those same feelings and nerves remain.

My youngest will be in Kindergarten, a goal she has strived for years to reach if one really needs to strive to be five :-). I remember watching her cry when her sister started school and she couldn't because she was two years too young. Now is her time to be filled with wonder. Racing home and repeating the words of her teacher verbatim and placing her on the same pedestal reserved for the worlds greatest minds. It will be the same reactions her sister has had the last two years. They are both blessed to have talented and energetic teachers once again this year.

So here is to a good first day. One that will be filled with excitement and nerves, exploration and discovery, and hopefully more great memories.