It's that time again...

It’s the middle of August and we all know what that means.  Whether you have kids or not, the signs are everywhere.

As a teacher, I’m relishing in these last few days of freedom, filling my time with sleeping in, my pajamas and doing anything I think of, just because I can.  Yet, while I lay on the couch with my coffee, watching the Kardashian marathon that I’ve already seen twice, the Back-to-School commercials do draw me in.  Target has the market cornered this year with the PE teacher who requires a jump drive for physical activity, the music teacher in love with his {likely stonewashed} denim and the second grade teacher who can’t wait to introduce her new friends, the fractions.  She’s my personal favorite although I can’t believe I wasn’t cast for the job.  {So much glitter!}

Going back to school gets me as excited as the children.  I love setting up my classroom and making changes to last year’s floor plan, optimizing space and getting more and more organized.  I’ve already spent multiple six-hour days standing in the middle of my classroom, anticipating what’s to come as I set up new learning areas and bring in new activities that I’ve worked on all summer.  It’s really all about optimizing what I have so when I meet my new little ones in a few days, I’ll be ready to give all that they need.  The potential of a new year and a new start overwhelms me with emotion as I’m thrilled for them to come while also nervous of making the same mistakes or not seeing these little people for who they truly are.

Then it hit me as if God himself had scrawled it on the board in bright red Crayola.

This is what He wants for me every day.

This is what He wants for us every day.  Each day is a new beginning where we can forget yesterday’s mistakes and misspoken words, stop dwelling on the failures we blame ourselves for and move forward, head held high with the anticipation of what’s to come.  Going back to school already fills me with hope and a sense of invincibility that I can do anything, teach anything and love these precious lives into the beginnings of great people.  Allowing myself to feel the same fresh start with each new morning takes a mind adjustment but once you’re able to see yourself through God’s loving eyes of forgiveness each and every day…man, is it freeing.

With that, I’m off to the classroom to soak in my space and see if I can’t make some of that newness stick around longer with pink glitter glue.  Then again, it is only 9:30 so I suppose I could work on my blog and scour Pinterest for things to imitate.  But after that I’ll go.  I can DVR the Kardashians anyway.


~ Kristin Young
Kindergarten teacher at Mountain Island Elementary