A Fresh Start

​One of the things I love most about teaching is that every year is a fresh start. While I still think about my former students, I look forward to starting over each year with a new group.
 
A new group of students brings with them a new mix of personalities, strengths, and challenges. Because of this, every year is different. Every day is different.
 
You may teach in the same room from one year to the next, but your classroom is never the same. The people inside the space change the space. 

Some years, that change is welcomed. Other years, that change is hard. Your classroom may not be what you envisioned it to be, but you still care deeply for the students who share the space with you.   
 
As a teacher, I often wonder, “What can I do to make our classroom a better place?”
 
A fresh start allows me the opportunity to make changes to lessons from last year, to try new strategies, and to collaborate more with other teachers. The most effective teachers don’t plan and teach in isolation, but they surround themselves and learn from other teachers.
 
Most importantly, though, a fresh start gives me a new group of students to teach, encourage, and to love.
 
The more time I spend with them, the more I learn about them. I learn about their families, what they enjoy doing in their free time, what they’re good at, and what’s hard for them. I learn what makes them laugh and what breaks their hearts. And I can’t help but wonder who they will grow up to be.
 
We will only spend a year together, but I will always consider them my students.
 
Teach. Encourage. Love.
 
That is what I am called to do. 
 
I’m so thankful for a fresh start.