Getting Ready for Back to School

It is almost that time of year… Back to School! The sales have hit the stores. Teachers have already started to prepare. Excitement is in the air.

My observations as an outsider, looking into Meet the Teacher. My wife is a school teacher. She teaches 4th grade at Haley Elementary in the Chandler School District. Over the years, I have volunteered my times for this special event. Why do I call it special – well, it is that time when the summer is coming to an end and parents, teachers and students are getting ready for the new school year to begin. Special time for parents because the kids are back at school. Students find it special because they are getting back with the friends (or making new friends). Teachers find it special for a variety of reasons, most notably they are going back to their passion of educating our future.

My observations over the years have been:

• Parents, students and teachers are excited about what a new year can and will bring. A new crop of people getting together to work toward a common goal – educating young minds, helping them grow and learn.
• Parents and teachers are trying to size up the upcoming year. Will this teacher be just the ticket for little Steve? Are Mr and Mrs XXXX going to be active in the education of little Steve? Little Steve is wondering if he is going to have a good year. Lots of questions that will be answered over the course of the school year.
• Teachers are wondering if this class is “the” class. “The” has two meanings. First and hopefully what happens most – is this the year all students take off and fly with the eagles. Or (is this) going to be the nightmare from their dreams over the weeks leading up to school.
• Past students and parents – stopped by to say Hi, catch up and say thank-you or just want to see the reaction of the teacher to how they have changed. The new class will be sitting down doing some welcome activities – talking and sharing their summer experiences. The PTO will be busy doing recruiting and fund-raising. The administrative staff will be helping out everywhere they could – they must log 5 miles. There is a buzz will be in the air.
• There is lots of information to be passed out as well. Teachers want to make sure that the year kicks off well. It is important for parents to listen to the Curriculum night presentations – they will be sharing expectations and past experiences that could make for an easy transition. A great start usually means a great year!

A new school year, brings new and hopefully high expectations – which will be met at the end of this school year. Will everything be perfect? Nope. Patience and remembering why everyone is there – will get them through the year. For me, I like this time of year, because my wife is really getting back to what she is passionate about (besides her family) – that is helping students to be the best that they can be. The dedication and drive that I get to see everyday – reminds me that I have to keep that same drive in what I do. Do I get the summer off to rest up for the next round of drive? No, but neither does she. She is always on – getting ready, trying to figure out new ways, re-evaluating last year and just plain thinking about the upcoming year.

When you have passion – you can move mountains.

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