The first day of school, no matter how many times I experience it (and at this point in my life and with my level of education, trust me, it’s a LOT), is never less exciting.
I’ve found that many of the same things which got me going as a student also get me going as a teacher. Will I like my new class/classes? What kinds of exciting challenges does the semester have in store? Where will be my habitual sitting place so as to exude the proper air of interest without creepy slobbering over-engagement?
What should I wear? What’s the first thing I should say? Every semester, I’m allotted the golden opportunity to leave yet another first impression. These people will, over the course of the next several months, becoming incredibly important in my life and with whom I will (with any luck) leave some kind of impression. It’s absolutely vital that they take away from that first moment some kind of essence of who I am and what they’re about to get.
My room.
I’ve always seen a kind of magic in the first day. Like you can somehow use it to gaze into the murky depths of the future and see what kind of semester you’re in for. My experience over the years has been mixed with this tactic, but I’ve never stopped trying and today will be no exception. Looking around the room, I will absolutely attempt to glean the nature of the students before me and what kind of challenges we will face together.
Another great thing about teaching is that I know this will never work. At some point this semester (and probably at several points this semester), my students will throw me something that I absolutely could not have seen coming. Some curve ball or complication, some question or concern, something I had never thought of before. Solving this problem will be a learning experience for all of us, and this is part of why I love my job so very much.
The moral of the story is this: I love school. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be here. Teaching excites me, learning makes me feel alive, and the exhilaration of the classroom just hasn’t gotten old. If I can instill one thing and one thing only into my students during any given semester, it would be my love of learning things. I suffer under no delusions about teaching classrooms full of future Broadway stars, and though I do firmly believe in the infinite potential of my students, I also recognize that most of them are probably taking my class for a liberal arts credit. As such, it’s important to me to leave them with skills that they will use no matter what they choose to do with their lives. To love learning is one of the greatest gifts I could give them.
