School started back for students this Thursday. To say that it was a smooth opening wouldn’t be sarcastic enough. Systems went down, computer installers arrived when and where they said they wouldn’t be, and of course yours truly gets the blame for every little glitch. It’s times like these I wonder what in the world am I doing here.
I’ve been out of the classroom for over eight years now. I still think of myself as a teacher, but that label seems to be further and further behind. Being out of the classroom and being a year-round employee, it’s easy for the significance of the first day of school to slip by. That’s symptomatic of a deeper problem – letting the significance of those children who show up on the first day slip by It’s all too easy to get wrapped up making sure computers are delivered on time and that various systems function as they are meant to work, and to forget about the core reason we’re here. For that reason, I’m going to try to slip out into the schools and get into classrooms as often as I can. That might also get me away from my constantly ringing telephone, even if it’s just for a few moments.
Back to school photos from the Greenville News