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!

My Birthday

Today is my birthday. I usually look forward to it, but not this year. Although I have been given one of the best gifts ever (our son), today is just kind of... there. I think everything is clouded with the thoughts of going back to school. I've asked for some answers to some school questions, and I'm frustrated because I'm just not getting those answers. My hope is that once school gets going and I get to know the students, things will get better... things will get "rolling"... I'll be learning about them; they will be learning about reading and writing and life and how they fit into it... that's my hope. If I had a birthday cake with a candle in front of me, that's one of the things I would wish for this year.