The Joys of Fresh Starts

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One of the great joys of a teaching life is how often you get a fresh start. You know that "New Year's" kind of feeling, when you've got the possibilities of "new" in front of you and you can set new goals to do better at whatever you wish to prioritize? Or like moving into a new house, or starting a new job. It's like that, but more often. 

Depending on the specifics of your teaching assignment, you might get new classes and new students at different intervals. 

For me, currently, I get new 6th graders every 9 weeks, new 7th graders each semester, and new 8th graders once a year. 

I'm the only Spanish teacher at my school so there's some carry over from year to year (kids I teach more than once), but they're never combined in the same way, so each new class is its own entity. I get this interesting combination of longevity in relationships and getting to know new students at the same time. I love it. 

Yesterday, the start of my new semester, I got four brand new classes: two 6th grade and two 7th grade. My eighth graders, I get to keep a bit longer yet. 

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That clean slate feeling helps keep me motivated and excited about my work. If I tried a new organizational system and it failed, I can scrap it and try something else entirely. If a group of students struggled with a topic, I can reassess how I presented that material and try again from a different angle. 

That combination of "brand new" and "next iteration" feeds my practice and helps me continue to grow even though I've been teaching a similar set of classes for many years now. 

How about you, fellow teachers and other readers? How often do you get a chance to start fresh in your lives? How does it feel to you? 

After Holiday Musings

Today was my first day back in the virtual classroom after our winter holidays break. 

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Even though I tried not to get so far off pattern on sleep that I would struggle, I failed, succumbing to "quiet house syndrome" and staying up late reading, watching movies, and playing games. So I had a hard time falling asleep last night and a hard time waking up this morning. In fact, I was so sleepy, I resorted to a double shot espresso--something I usually save for Fridays.

I know that breaks like these are supposed to be for recouping my energy and enthusiasm, but I find that my bounce-back is slower with each year. My current theory is that I've been teaching for 26 years, and the recovery period for that is 26 years. So check back when I'm in my 80s and we'll see if I've recovered ;-)

I'm not a big winter holidays person--even before the plague descended in 2020, I avoided holiday travel, big parties, and over the top celebration plans in favor of quiet time with those I love best. So, this holiday season wasn't really that different than my normal. In fact, it was better for rest and recuperation, since there was a lot less external pressure to get out and do things. 

Staying home meant I was a good citizen instead of an antisocial introvert. My extroverted friends didn't keep trying to save me from what they regard as sad and lonely boredom. 

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Still, I wasn't ready, emotionally and physically, to get back on the teaching horse today, but you know what? As soon as I stepped into a classroom with kids (even a digital one), that all went away. It was so genuinely good to see and hear from my kiddos and know they were okay, to hear about their gifts (and thankfully not very many travels), and even to hear them whine about coming to school. 

It's funny how I can need recovery time and a break from my students and miss them fiercely at the same time. So welcome back, kiddos. I really did miss you. May the new year bring you joy and learning. I look forward to seeing who you become.