Back to School?

So I realized the other day that this will be the first year since kindergarten that I'm not going "back to school" as either a student or a teacher. Although I'm very happy to be home with my kids, and I know I am extremely blessed to be able to do so, I still have mixed feelings about this time of year. I read all my teacher friends' posts about getting their classrooms ready, and I miss that excitement and nervousness that always comes when you get that list of names and you start planning for what you hope will be your best year yet. I miss hanging up posters and covering bulletin boards and planning getting-to-know-you games. I also miss the friendship and support of other teachers--the only people in the world who know what this job is really like. I will certainly miss the students (at least the majority of them!), making connections with them, and seeing those lightbulbs go off--all those important moments that make all the less-than-gratifying parts of teaching worthwhile.

So for all of the teachers who are heading back to school this fall, or who have already started, I wish you all the best. Take advantage of the small moments that mean so much, and try to ignore the petty distractions and pessimists that try to keep you down. Pay no attention to the negativity that surrounds education these days, and remember why you became a teacher in the first place. I truly hope that this will be your best year yet!