Ready or Not · 9 September 2023
Another school year is about to start, and I am ready. Probably.
Some people love the start of a new school year. They come to it with great expectations. And if they are changing schools, they can create new personas. They can be different than they were before. Or they can be more their genuine selves. New is good. Or at least it can be.
Other people dread the start of a new school year. They do not know what is going to happen. They wonder what their classes will be like. They wonder if anybody will like them. Or if people will like them more than they did last year.
And these are just the anticipations and worries of the teachers.
I suppose that students think the same things. They have similar anticipations. They have similar worries. Which is natural, of course. They are people. For the most part. And for those who are not quite people yet, they will become people during their high school experience. Probably.
I am writing this before the first week of school, but it will not be posted until the end of that first week. But I can tell you that I have much the same attitude that I have had most of my teaching career. Ready or not, here they come.
This ready or not attitude is not fatalistic or anything like that. It is just the answer to the question: “Are you ready for the new school year?” I have not in fact given that answer to people who ask. At least not in those exact words, but I think I should start using it. It is apropos. And it is somewhat poignant. For it is true. (Can anything really be somewhat poignant? It seems not. It ought to be poignant or not. Ah well.) Whether I am ready for the new school year or not, the kids will be there on that first day and every day for the rest of the school year.
I ought to be a little anxious for this school year. It is my twenty-ninth, but I am trying something new. I did one big switch the year before, and I am doing another big switch this year. Last year was a computer language switch, this year is a methodology switch. Hopefully, it will work well for the students. After all, I try to change things for the betterment of my students. Even though it will be a big change for me.
I suppose that changing the way I do things ought to cause me fear or trepidation, but it does not. After all, a new school year is about to start and I am ready. Probably. But it does not really matter. Ready or not, here they come.
© 2023 Michael T. Miyoshi
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