Back to School

I have been meaning since graduating this summer from grad school to take some time and put down my thoughts about this school year. Of course, here it is the second day of school and I am finally getting an opportunity.
This year will be a different year for me in many ways. I am unsure of where I belong in the big picture of education. I know I want to stay in the classroom, but I feel like there should be more. What that more is, I am not sure. Opportunities for things outside the classroom pop up but they are not always interesting or motivating ones, just ones to make more money. Much like the characters I teach to my students, or my students themselves, I find myself trying to figure out who I am and what I want to be. This year is also different because I have two new classes. I am still teaching English Literature, English 9 and English 9 Honors, but my English 9 class is now an all-boys class (yes- me and 33 boys!), and a Spelling and Vocabulary class. All my classes are now in laptop classrooms so we have the information abundant world at our fingertips.
I think the beginning of the year is always a challenging time not for just for the new students, but for the teachers as well. I think every year I feel the trepidation of starting. Will this class be as good as last years? Will they be able to let go of their preconceived notions of education and try something new? Will they want to do more, be more and learn more than they have in the past? How will they respond to me? Will it be bigger, better, and more rewarding than the years before?
This year, I want to do something different. I am not sure what it is yet. There are many possibilities bouncing around in my head, but I know I need to be open to whatever comes my way. I want my kids to connect with classrooms in their own school, in their community, state, and world. I want them to own their learning, to be empowered by knowledge and seek it in every aspect of their life. I want to be as fearless towards their curiosity as they would be to mine. I want to be a learner with them and for them. I want to not only conference with them about their writing but their reading as well. Heck, we can even conference about life. I want there to be endless possibilities for these kids. I want to change the world, and I want these kids to show me how to do it. We are off and running…

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