Today was my 24th First Day of School. Granted, most of those were as a student! Nevertheless, it's time for a new start, time for another cycle of catch-and-release.
I was reminded of my first day as a teacher of teenagers. It was a significant career change, so I had a lot to prepare. I spent so much time and energy preparing for that first first day: syllabi, lesson plans, my classroom arrangement, seating charts, policies and procedures for everything. I wrote, printed, and copied everything for the day, did some demos, and gave my introductions; that night, I pulled off my suit, and fell - exhausted - into bed when it dawned on me: how was I ever going to do this 179 more times?! What had I gotten myself into? I wonder whether this is what new parents feel - nine months spent preparing for the arrival of a child and panic sets in when you take her home and realize your job has only begun. Anyhow, I made it through that day, that week, that year. And several more first days since.
I'm reasonably pleased with my schedule and very happy with some changes to the department and my courseload. I hope this auspicious First Day gives way to a Good Year.
I was reminded of my first day as a teacher of teenagers. It was a significant career change, so I had a lot to prepare. I spent so much time and energy preparing for that first first day: syllabi, lesson plans, my classroom arrangement, seating charts, policies and procedures for everything. I wrote, printed, and copied everything for the day, did some demos, and gave my introductions; that night, I pulled off my suit, and fell - exhausted - into bed when it dawned on me: how was I ever going to do this 179 more times?! What had I gotten myself into? I wonder whether this is what new parents feel - nine months spent preparing for the arrival of a child and panic sets in when you take her home and realize your job has only begun. Anyhow, I made it through that day, that week, that year. And several more first days since.
I'm reasonably pleased with my schedule and very happy with some changes to the department and my courseload. I hope this auspicious First Day gives way to a Good Year.
I also teach high school - been at it a while. A friend who's also a teacher recently compared starting up each year to the first trimester of pregnancy. It struck me when you wrote a similar idea - taking it a step further. Birthing is so hard, then comes the raising. This is something another friend of mine spoke of recently - how in life destinations turn ito arrivals and then the arrivals become destinations. Rinse, repeat.
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