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Anticipation

 It has a name. It’s called anticipation and it’s the first phase of the teaching cycle. This special time of the year for teachers of all levels is one of the most enjoyable.  That manic time before the school year actually starts when teachers have the luxury of thinking ahead and getting excited about the coming year. 

All those things you are planning to do differently. The new ideas that you’ll try for the first time. A roll book and a grade book that’s empty and pristine. And those classes you are anxious to meet. The first few weeks in a school year are all about anticipation. 

Even though the last couple of years, with virtual teaching and the COVID restrictions calling the shots have taken their toll, this is the time of year that teachers feel the pull of starting over. It’s a good pull. It’s fun to set up a classroom, prepare for those first few days, and meet new people. That includes new colleagues and students. Right now a first year teacher will soon experience live bodies in the same room for the first time. A 30 year veteran will be thankful to get back to what they know best. Both will relish the fact that they will be able to talk to real people and not screen images. Their outlook will change because a measure of consistency might emerge.

Of course, the fight over mask mandates or the lack of them will soon complicate matters. This anticipation will come to include being able to stay in the classroom, plan activities for rooms full of young voices, young energy and curiosity. Will it last? How long? 

I feel for these teachers. I can only imagine how my preparations for beginning another school year would be going we’re I still in the classroom. Either way I certainly hope the new year offers civil conversations about how complicated all this has become. Excellent teachers everywhere of every subject and level will incorporate all this into their lessons. Let the anticipation begin. Let it last a little longer this year. There is plenty of time for the disillusionment to follow.

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