First

Everyone is getting ready.  Shopping carts are filling up while schedules are getting back on track! There’s a special buzz in the air at this time of year. It’s kind of like the one you feel at the holidays. There’s no mistaking it’s time for school to begin.  This will be the first pre-planning; the first Open House; and the first…first day of school I have missed in 31 years. I didn’t even miss the first day of school when my oldest daughter drove herself to Valdosta to move in. (Yep, shame on me!) 

So “Late” Lee, I am feeling kind of weird and way out of the loop! The only life/career I have ever known is moving on without me! What?!  While I’m moving onward, I’m so excited for my colleagues! They are already burning the candle at both ends as they ready their classrooms for the children they don’t yet know.  They’ll create the most beautiful bulletin boards and adorn their walls with colorful artwork and anchor charts. Desks and tables will be carefully arranged to ensure a sense of community.  Books have been leveled and placed in perfect sets while manipulatives of blocks, shapes, numbers and letters are tenderly put in bins to ensure easy access by little hands. Name tags will be written with caring hands and placed upon the table/desks waiting for their little friends. 

All summer long, books and plans have travelled in bags to the beaches and pools, because unlike what most think, a teacher’s job is never done not even when the school is empty and missing everyone.  They are seeking out the most engaging of lessons wanting to give every child their very best! Searching for effective strategies to use when a little one (or two) struggles with learning what’s new. The reading for some can be such a mess as the letters meant to form words only form a string of much less. Then there’s the new math (tee hee) that so many love to hate, but really it’s just unveiling the mystery behind the numbers and algorithms they create! 

When the children walk the halls, they’ll be greeted by numerous genuine smiles as teachers welcome them as part of their class! The routines and procedures will be practiced and reviewed as the school day winds down and day one turns into day two.  

One thing I know for certain and don’t have to be there to confirm,  is the school families I’ve known and loved will welcome their new students and love on them as they learn! Best of luck to all of the school families out there!