I honestly don’t know why calendars start with January. Everybody knows the new year starts in September, right? Even though this was the first official week of the school year at my university, it’s clear to everyone–students and faculty alike–that the real work won’t get underway until we return from Labor Day weekend. Which means September.
Hectic as it is, though, I really love back-to-school season. If you do as well, then today’s Five for Friday will probably ring true–it’s a list of the five things I like best about greeting a new school year.
In no particular order:
New school supplies
I am legitimately obsessed with office/school supplies. Pens, markers, highlighters, notebooks, Post Its–I love them all. (As you might imagine, my recent return to drawing has just fed into this obsession.) The new school year justifies spending a little money on such things. Or, okay, quite a bit of money. Right now I’m eyeing a new set of markers that are not, strictly speaking, really necessary. But they’re so pretty!
New planners
Is there anything more hopeful than a new planner? All those wide-open white spaces, just waiting to be filled in with opportunities. All that possibility. Every year, it seems, I try out a new planner–with pockets, with a spiral binding, hardbound, soft cover–convinced that if I can only find the right one, my life will magically become completely organized and manageable.
New plans
I’m not the sort of professor who teaches the same classes over and over again–that would be boring for me, which means it would also be boring for my students. The only way to keep things fresh and interesting is to try something new every year. Sometimes I get overzealous and rework all my classes completely, but I’ve learned from experience that this isn’t such a great idea. Tweaks here and there + one complete overhaul = more enthusiasm for me and a better experience for my students. That’s what it’s all about, after all.
New students
I especially love teaching brand-new college freshmen. They’re making this huge transition in their lives–many of them living away from their parents for the first time–and they’re just so excited. They’re earnest, curious, willing to listen. All of that lasts for about the first month of the fall semester, if I’m lucky–but it’s a great month.
Old students
One of the great things about teaching at a small liberal arts university is that I get to know my students really well. Seeing them again in the fall after a long summer break is a genuine pleasure. On top of that, I get to watch them grow and develop from their idealistic freshman selves into to the smart, savvy seniors we send out into the world. I feel like I get to watch them bloom into their adulthood–and then, if we stay connected via Facebook, I get to watch them use those adult lives for the greater good. This is the very best part of my job.
Even though this first week back is always hectic, no matter how carefully I’ve planned it out, I’m always a little excited to start a new school year. When that isn’t the case anymore, I’ll know it’s time for a change of career.
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