Next week, the faculty and staff at my university make their translation to the school year. On the train, I watched my calendar next week fill with meetings: All-employee meeting, all-faculty meeting, division meeting, back-to-school picnic, training for new software, fireworks on Sunday...
Although some of these meetings will be high on the educational model of the week and the continued poor outlook over education funding, I will still be optimistic -- it's hard being pessimistic when facing a new school year.
Those of you out there who have children understand the rituals behind the beginning of the school year: the shopping for back-to-school clothes and shoes and supplies, the beginning-of-school introduction letters from the teachers, the first day of school photo in front of the house with the neighborhood kids ... to be fair, some of us didn't have those things; some had second-hand clothes and shoes, some didn't stand in front of the porch for the beginning-of-school year photo -- yet we stayed optimistic, because the year became shiny and new the moment we walked into that building and met the new teacher, if only for a moment.
Many of us teachers (PreK to professor) feel the itch to shop at Office Max in August just because. We re-clean our offices to prepare for the school year. Many cultures have cleaning and shopping rituals to herald the new year. Faculty have the same, but the new year starts on the first day of school. Our class rosters have come out, and some of us will send them a beginning-of-school note to introduce ourselves.
I will prepare by enacting my rituals. I will clean and organize my office. I will travel down to St. Joe and buy another teaching outfit and maybe some new pens at OfficeMax. I'll make sure my online course access is trouble-free. I will attend the meetings. I will let myself feel the shininess.
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What about my writing? I still write during the school year. I wake up early -- and I mean early -- in the morning to get writing done. Sometimes I write during coffee hour on Friday when nobody shows up.
I will write. I will find inspiration to write.
For myself K-12 my only goal was to get through the year. My years at Northwest were the best years of my life that I lived in Maryville. I learned so much about myself that I scarcely believed was possible. I lived there consecutively until I was 23 and move to Oklahoma. So I embrace your optimism. Who knows what extrodanary students you may get to know this year.
ReplyDeleteEach beginning is so full of infinite possibilities!!!!
This is Lanetta.