Fresh Starts

Being in school for 32 years has brought me to some conclusions:
- I love the scent of a freshly-sharpened pencil.
- There's almost a magical air to the empty hallways with their rows of lockers standing guard.
- Opening a box of 64 crayons and seeing all of those colors makes me think of fresh starts and new possibilities.
- One teacher can make a difference in a child's life. That teacher may have no idea that she is making the difference at the time it happens, however.
- A smile that comes from the heart can mean more to a person than hundreds of words said when a person isn't truly sincere.
- Students are capable of much more than they know. It's a teacher's job to discover the depths of each student's capabilities, without pushing them to the point of discouragement. They don't teach this in "teacher school" though.
- A squeaky desk doesn't just bother the student seated there. It will slowly, like a Chinese water torture, drive everyone in the room mad.
- Students want boundaries. They actually crave them. They will push you until you clearly define them. Then they turn around and complain about them. This is normal.
- Middle school boys have an incessant need to touch stationary objects above them. Included in this are exit signs, basketball nets, and doorways. This is biological and cannot be avoided.
- Middle school girls can talk for hours about how they have no interest whatsoever in a certain boy... and then blush the second he walks in a room.
- Middle school students in general do not understand the fine line of artificial scents. If a little cheap perfume smells good... a LOT must smell better. If a little Axe body spray makes a girl look your way, a LOT will make you a chick magnet. Please note that these last two statements are actually false. PLEASE note that. PLEASE?

I'm in a profession that has a defined end each year and a fresh start built in as well. Each new year has promise, hope, and seemingly infinite possibilities. What an amazing gift!