School is starting soon!

The start of a new school year is just around the corner! Some of you are jumping for joy and others are groaning with sadness. I feel you both! I am excited about fresh new beginnings, a routine, brainstorming with my colleagues and being with teenagers every day. I am a little sad that I will no longer be able to lounge around in my pj’s drinking my coffee until mid-morning while I decide what I am going to do for the day.

Someone asked me a few weeks ago how my summer was going. It has been one of the most relaxing I can remember. And then it dawned on me, this is the first summer in 22 years that I have not had a child at home. I have set my own schedule. I have chosen my own activities. It has been weird. It has been sad. It has been fun! 

I have already had the initial first-day-of school dream. I am sure there will be others. This one was crazy. By the way, I am a high school Spanish teacher. In the dream, my desk was in the hallway. It was already piled with papers to grade. I couldn’t figure out how to get into the grading program so I had no idea which level of Spanish I was teaching which hour. I knew that I didn’t have a first hour because the tardy bell rang and no one showed up. That meant I would definitely have second hour, but I had no idea how to prepare. Several coaches were hanging out around my desk talking to me. I couldn’t answer their questions. And, worst of all, I had forgotten to make the coffee.

Yes, even teachers still get the first day of school jitters. I have been doing this for 19 years, and I don’t think I have ever had a year that I didn’t struggle to fall asleep the night before school started! The first day of school is a big deal. 

I have 19 days before I head back. I still have a couple of rooms to de-clutter, a trip planned to see my grandma (we are celebrating her 90th birthday), some projects to complete and time carved out to spend with friends. 

I have 19 days to be in prayer. I hope that you will join me. 

• For the administrators (both district and building) who are already working trying to fill positions that opened up last minute, finalize schedules, and prepare for the required in-service that teachers will be attending. 
• For the technology department as they prep new equipment and try to keep up with the countless websites that need to be blocked to protect those precious minds that we are in charge of guiding. 
• For the cafeteria managers and workers as they begin determining menus and ordering food. 
• For the administrative assistants who wear a thousand different hats during the day and can juggle more tasks than is humanly possibly. 
• For the counselors who are busy with paperwork and trying to stay on top of the latest research in mental health so they can be prepared for the vast needs of so many students. 
• For the custodial staff who are preparing our buildings right now so that they will be ready when that first bell rings.
• For the transportation department who maintain a fleet of buses and drive those precious kiddos to and from school. 
• For the teachers as they create new activities, sit through in-service, prepare their classrooms and try to find ways to reach those who are so difficult to reach.

And, for the students. They are all coming with different needs, different perspectives, different socioeconomic statuses, different learning styles, different attitudes. Some make friends easily, some can dress cool without too much effort. Others are struggling to find a place where they fit and will be choosing paths that will set their course for many years. 

There are so many moving pieces in a school. So many variables due to the many personalities, beliefs and ideas of so many people working towards one goal. That 19 days doesn’t seem long enough! It’s a lot to pray over. 

For me, personally, I want to be a light that points others to Jesus. I want to be different and do the unexpected when it comes to showing grace, mercy and forgiveness. I want to be like Jesus. 

We are all human. We make mistakes as we try to educate and guide the youth in our charge. What an opportunity we have to show them how we can also apologize and learn from our mistakes. We will shape them. It is exciting and scary! It is a huge blessing and a huge responsibility. Please lift us up in prayer as we make thousands of decisions each day and try so diligently to make the right ones.