Starting Fresh

The new school year is upon us. This time of year always brings about mixed feelings for me. When my kids were smaller it was really hard to think about going back to work and doing all the things to get ready. I know there are people who believe that teachers walk out of their classrooms on the last day of school and then walk back in on the first day and start anew. These people are what you call ignorant. I am not calling them idiots or any other ugly names, to be ignorant just means YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW. But, now that I am telling you, you will no longer be able to claim ignorance, therefore I can call you ugly names the next time. The start of a new school year is a time of lots of planning, preparation, organizing, furniture moving, money spending...I think you get the idea. So, anyway, I really used to HATE this time of year when my kids were small. Truth be told, it would stress me out beyond belief! Of course, every year gets easier. The kids grow up, I have more experience in preparing, a little more time on my own to devote to the task at hand.

I am a lucky girl to be working with the people that I get to work with everyday. I have an unbelievable team, a boss that respects our differences (encourages them), a beautiful building to work in http://www.unionps.org/index.cfm?id=272. I can tell you that I have worked in different schools in "better parts" of town and I would get a knot in my stomach just walking in the door. It just wasn't a place that I felt connected to at all. I got out of there the first chance I could and haven't looked back. Lots of folks think I am crazy, as they live in that "better part" of town and they know the area that I moved to. They just can't imagine why in the world I would want to do that. I will tell you why. The people that you spend day in and day out with can really make or break your day. If you are in an oppressive place, you can become part of the problem yourself. When I walk into my building you can just "feel" it's a happy place. People genuinely want to be there. We enjoy each other, even spending time together outside of work or simply sharing our personal lives with each other.

I guess I am at a point in my life that a new school year isn't going to send me over the edge because I have to leave my babies and go to work. Heck, they have left me home alone all summer! They have much better things to do than to hang with mom...unless of course they want something. It's a time of getting back to a schedule, which believe it or not is usually a welcome change. It's a time of reconnection with friends at work. It's new crayons, freshly sharpened pencils (with brand new erasers!), notebooks that have yet to be written in. It's funny that all of those things never get old to me.

Don't misunderstand me here, I will be grouchy, tired and stressed out. It only lasts long enough to adjust to the change.