Every year, I have the same nightmare right before school begins. The dream always involves feeling lost. It is fifth or sixth period and I can’t find my classroom. I know what time it is and I know I have class. . . I just can’t seem to find it. Fear is in the air. Anxiety hangs over me like a fog. No matter what I do, I can’t find my class. And, to make matters worse, I tend to have the dream several nights in a row leading up to school and sometimes the dream lasts even after school has begun. The crazy thing: I’ve been teaching for a long time!
I know I’m not alone here. I’m sure thousands of teachers have similar experiences. And this got me thinking: who else has the infamous “back to school nightmare”? Is it just the teachers, or do parents and students have similar “nightmares”?
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that this is universal and affects kids and parents as much as it does teachers.
As I ready myself for the beginning of the school year, I am going to pay attention to cues and signs of worry that encompass me and potentially others. I am going to be more observant, more inquisitive. I’m going to do this in the classroom and at home.
I need to know: does my daughter have the same feelings about starting kindergarten that I have about starting school? If so, can she voice it or will her angst come out in another way? Is my wife worried about this seemingly monumental change? I’m sure she is. How will she voice it? Or will she internalize it?
And now for you… How do you feel about the beginning of the school year? Are you excited, angry, sad, or apathetic? Is this moment bittersweet or is it something else entirely?
Like the beginning of any journey, there is always hesitancy, angst, fear, and questions. I think the only way to make the journey that is the school year the best it can be is to question ourselves, our friends, and our children so we can evaluate how we can be the best we can be and make the most out of what we have.
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