The First Day of School!

Today I enjoyed the first day of school! I say enjoyed, because it was a truly enjoyable day filled with smiles, warm greetings from students and parents alike, and a flurry of learning and activity! During our teacher meetings yesterday, one of our administrators asked us to converse with a colleague regarding the answer to the following question: "What causes you to be optimistic about public education?" I consider myself an optimistic person so it was not difficult for me to come up with some ideas. While there were certainly many answers to this question being discussed at the meeting, my colleagues and I decided that one cause of our optimism is the quality of the people we work with. My colleagues are dedicated professionals that believe in the power and value of education and I am proud to work with them each and every day. I am equally optimistic about public education because of the wonderful children that arrive at our school eager and ready to learn and their parents that support our programs. In the past few weeks as I was preparing for school to open, I witnessed many parents and children arrive at school to drop off supplies, visit classrooms and teachers, and speak with office staff or the principal. Parents and children alike were so very excited and could not wait for school to begin. One student came to visit me in the gymnasium with his mom. He walked confidently across the floor with a great big smile and a "Hi". He could not contain his excitement about the start of school! What a terrific way to start the year! Today we experience the promise of a new year, new opportunities, new experiences and new accomplishments. If you experienced the first day today at my school, you could not help but be excited and optimistic too!