The First Day of School

Do you remember the night before the first day of school? The excitement of starting a new year has filled me every August since I was 5. I remember having everything ready...new supplies, outfit picked out, and butterflies in my stomach. I have always loved school.

This very day last year, it was the night before my first day of student teaching. Their smiling faces coming in to the classroom reminded me of the simplicity of being six. They were brightly lit, a little nervous, but ever so excited. At 20 years old, I was just as excited and twice as nervous!

The first day of school has a smell- I believe it's probably a mixture of squeaky new shoes, freshly sharpened pencils, and boxes of 64 crayons (sharpener on the back). New school sounds fill the halls, too. The sound of those squeaky new shoes that smell so good; the sound of chatty friends who have lots of (slightly embellished) tales of summer; sniffles from parents as they walk their little ones to their classrooms; bells ringing; and teachers scrambling to get last minute details in order. Good stuff.


Tomorrow, for the first time in 16 years, school will start without me. I can't believe it and I am sort of in denial. Like, maybe, some school will call me at 6 am and say, "We can't start the show without you!" I'm telling you, I'd be there before they could finish that sentence. However, chances are, I will actually be sitting on the couch watching Regis and Kelly as the four surrounding counties (all of which have my resume on file) begin the school year without me.