For Texas teachers, today was the first day back to school. For some of you reading this, you’ve been back for weeks- and others are savoring their last official week of summer before they go back to school after Labor Day.
Regardless, the first day is not always easy. I’ve been thinking a lot about back to school and while I am not “back to school”, I still have a very memorable back to school that I want to share with you now. Some of you have already heard this story, so you’ll have to humor me!
Let me set the scene. I left third grade in Michigan and moved down to Texas and was going to teach Kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN! Third grade to Kindergarten? What was I thinking? It was a mess! I had no idea what I was doing- I was a complete mess!
I came home that “first day of school” crying! Yes! Crying! I circled the block trying to get myself together before facing my husband who was home waiting for me. He opened the door, all excited to see me after my first day of work in Texas, and I started balling all over again!
I remember crawling into bed and he just stood there not knowing what to say or what to do to make me feel better- so he said this- “You can do anything for a year! Right?” I cried- a year was a really long time to feel like a failure of a teacher with five year olds!
But the next day- I went back- what else was I gonna do? However, before I went to pick up my students in the cafeteria- the 22 lovely little Kindergarten students that sent me home crying all night long- I closed the door of my classroom and I played my new theme song…
I turned up the volume dial and listened as Shania Twain sang, “Up, up, up, can only go up from here!”
It had to be true right? For a week I listened to that song alone in my classroom to start the morning.
And the truth of the matter is that, yes, it does go UP every day from the first day no matter what the grade level. It is a slow progression, but I’ll tell you that teaching Kindergarten became my favorite grade!
“Up” was my theme song. What’s yours after your first day, week, month of school?
My theme song for this year is "Good Morning" by Mendisa.
We incorporate a zumba dance to this song that I learned from the second grade teachers at my old school last year.
It reminds me that today is a good morning even if I am away from my teacher friends AND I get to see my kids smiling and enjoying the dance as we start our day!