It’s in the Air…
This is the fourth year in a row as a staff specialist for professional development, which means it’s my third school year of not starting the year with a group of students with whom I’m charged to educate and nurture through another year of learning. But it’s in the air, and I can feel it!
When I walk through the halls of the schools I’ve worked in the last few weeks, I can smell the aroma of freshly constructed bulletin boards and see the shine of freshly waxed floors. I hear the chatter of teachers as they discuss the new this or the new that, and who had the most weddings, births, and vacations over the summer.
What I think I miss the most about the start of a new school year is the clean slate you can begin with each year. Even if some of the students are the same, you’ve had the summer to recharge and get excited about changing something just slightly so that you can reach one more student in a better way. I was happy, though, to see that most of the teachers I’ve worked with in the last three weeks are truly excited about getting back into their classrooms and getting into the daily shuffle with kids.
I love my role as a staff specialist. I guess I’m writing this because I get asked often whether or not I miss working with kids on a daily basis. My answer is yep, but I’m also glad I took a chance on something different.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I think for many in education, September has more of a New Year’s feel than January. I’t been that way for me! It’s ’start over’ time. Though I’m no longer in the classroom, I still feel that way. Resolutions, goals, plans, etc. all start now. I wonder when the new year ‘feel’ happens for those who are in year round school setting.
September 4th, 2007 at 7:31 am
I appreciate your comparison to feeling lik New Year’s Eve. I guess that’s true. It’s a time when you get to start with a clean slate, and you can decide which resolutions you want to move foward with.