Today my daughter received her teacher assignment for next year. As a second grader, she’s already well-accustomed to the way the school operates, and knows who many of the teachers are, and also, how she learns best.
So, she was excited to see her teacher for this year, who she has known since she was in kindergarten, and whose style, and mannerisms, seem really well-suited for what my daughter needs as a learner and as a person.
After the initial excitement had worn off, she was incredibly happy all day, clearly looking forward to resuming school in a few short weeks.
It was funny, as the night before, my wife and I were talking about some of our daughter’s strengths and weaknesses as a learner, and what our hopes were for her during her second grade year. While anything can happen, of course, we both feel like this teacher will be a good resource for our daughter as she continues to grow.
The start of the school year is both a time of tremendous excitement and lots of anxiety. As I sit here writing this, I can tell my daughter is both very excited for the new year to start, and really anxious for all the changes it will bring.
We need to welcome these feelings in our colleagues as well, and understand that as wonderful as the excitement is, the anxiety has to be recognized too! All feelings are important!