Ah, August!  Here in Tennessee, August means hot, muggy days; steamy nights; long lazy weekends on the river; and….gulp…the start of a new school year!  Although most of us would prefer to be outdoors breathing in the scent of a newly mowed lawn or fresh cut hay drying in the sun, nothing says “back to school” like the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and floor wax.

This time of year was always a very stressful time for me when I was in the classroom, but I didn’t know anything until I became a principal!  I work all summer long preparing schedules, budgets, putting kids in classes, learning a new student management system, researching new “best practices” and making sure the building was ready to open, but nothing…and I mean, nothing…can prepare you for the inevitable curve balls that will come hurling out of left field when those students first walk through the door!  As a teacher, I never knew what my administrators were enduring that first day.  Boy, was I ever in for a shock the first day of my first year as a principal!  I had no clue what I was doing and everybody wanted something or for me to make some decision or give a directive…I learned that day exactly what FDR meant when he coined the phrase, “The buck stops here!”  I distinctly remember going home around 7:30 p.m. that first day and beginning to cry hysterically when my husband asked me what we were having for dinner. My response???  “Noooooooo!!!!  Please!!!  No more questions!!  Don’t ask me to make another decision!”  Pizza it was.

I know now what to expect during the first days, even weeks, of school.  It no longer comes as a surprise when I break out in shingles in anticipation of August.  (Seriously.  I do.)  But as scary as it is, I’ve never lost that tingle of excitement and anticipation that I had as a young student on the first day of school.  Call me a nerd if you must, but the smell of the above mentioned freshly sharpened pencils and floor wax sends a thrill up my spine to this day.  So, on the night before school started this year, as usual, I couldn’t sleep.  So, instead of staring at the television and fighting the siren call of the refrigerator, I decided to put the thoughts that were racing through my head into verse.  Here it is.  Enjoy, and share if you like.  And welcome to my blog!

‘Twas the night before school starts and all are tucked in,
Anxiously waiting for school to begin.

The backpacks are hung on the back of the chair
Filled with notebooks and crayons and Kleenex to share.

The children are nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of school chums dance in their heads.

The parents sleep soundly; relief is the rule,
For tomorrow they’ll send their kids back to school.

The teachers are tossing and twisting and turning,
Anxious and eager for all the new learning.

They’ve sharpened the pencils and decked all the walls
Ready to see happy kids in the hall.

The lessons are planned to fill young minds with knowledge,
Our goal is to prepare them for life beyond college!

This principal is nervous! I can not sleep!
So much is at stake…many promises to keep!

Have I prepared all my teachers to meet all the needs
Of the students who tomorrow will fill all the seats?

Are we ready to fill up their minds with the things
They will need to be ready for whatever life brings?

As midnight approaches, my heart is assured…
We will rise to the challenge, the tough race to endure.

When the bell rings tomorrow, we’ll know just how to start
To make them feel valued and special and smart.

But most important of all…every goal, this above…
We will show every student how much they are loved.

So now I exclaim, Educators, have no fear!
Happy learning to all…and to all, a great year!