Musings of.........an Observer
Ah, The Smell of Fresh Sales and School Supplies.
Ever wonder why WE get so excited when the sales begin? Why we feel the frantic tug to make a great bargain and buy things that are generally NOT for ourselves?
I have a theory. I feel that we get a rush because-just like our students, we crave New Beginnings. Out with the Old and in with the NEW. We trade in our useless and lifeless tools for more colorful and creative, and perhaps more precise tools.
New school supplies, new lesson plans, new curriculums for some of us, a new organizational system for others, a renewed spirit and most importantly: a new slate for us as well as the children.
We get excited b/c even if we've been teaching for eons, we know that it's not just the students who have to make transitions and who arrive to capture new learning-we do as well. If we didn't and we weren't challenged, we would not bother or get such a rush of euphoria each and every year. It is both ritualistic and mysterious because even we wonder and ask ourselves: what if ...
Whoever said that teachers are creatures of habit only had it half right. Yes we love consistency and order...but we also have a love and passion for the unknown and uncharted. Every year they arrive at our doors and we question ourselves: Will he make adequate progress this year? Will she ever come out of her shell long enough to take a risk and grow from her experiences? And on and on with our endless concerns and worries. But, somehow and some way; we find it within ourselves to help our children reinvent themselves and transform themselves before our very eyes.
So, if a few school supplies are the magic ingredients or the catalysts to get us motivated and recharged, then I say-why not? Go ahead and smell the school supplies. Who needs roses anyway?
Till next time...........
I have a theory. I feel that we get a rush because-just like our students, we crave New Beginnings. Out with the Old and in with the NEW. We trade in our useless and lifeless tools for more colorful and creative, and perhaps more precise tools.
New school supplies, new lesson plans, new curriculums for some of us, a new organizational system for others, a renewed spirit and most importantly: a new slate for us as well as the children.
We get excited b/c even if we've been teaching for eons, we know that it's not just the students who have to make transitions and who arrive to capture new learning-we do as well. If we didn't and we weren't challenged, we would not bother or get such a rush of euphoria each and every year. It is both ritualistic and mysterious because even we wonder and ask ourselves: what if ...
Whoever said that teachers are creatures of habit only had it half right. Yes we love consistency and order...but we also have a love and passion for the unknown and uncharted. Every year they arrive at our doors and we question ourselves: Will he make adequate progress this year? Will she ever come out of her shell long enough to take a risk and grow from her experiences? And on and on with our endless concerns and worries. But, somehow and some way; we find it within ourselves to help our children reinvent themselves and transform themselves before our very eyes.
So, if a few school supplies are the magic ingredients or the catalysts to get us motivated and recharged, then I say-why not? Go ahead and smell the school supplies. Who needs roses anyway?
Till next time...........
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