Am I Ready?

I've had a few people recently mention the approaching school year to me. It's often phrased in a way that suggests stressful times are ahead. Perhaps they are, but there's also a real excitement to the beginning of the school year that I deeply enjoy. Don't get me wrong; the school nightmares have been in full force with their greatest hits including all time favorites such as: I can't find my classroom, I have a completely different course to teach than I realized, I can't find any of my materials, none of the technology is working correctly, and (of course) horribly disrespectful students. All of these have some level of connection to real-life experiences, but one thing that I've noticed about nightmares in the past few years is that I seem to be handling the situations rather calmly (and was recently accused in a dream of being too calm about it).

I'm excited about this year. Should the schedule not change, I have courses that I enjoy teaching. I also have the Rome and Athens trip this coming spring break. Connor will be in the school (likely trying to avoid me). Also, I won't have to rush out to pick up the boys from Sterling like I have almost the entire time we've lived here, giving me more time after school to meet with students or get stuff done.

Speaking of stuff, I once again brought home a lot of material with the intention of doing some advance planning. Once again, it didn't happen. I thought about it a lot, but the books are just sitting there. Thus, the week before school is going to be another one of those cram weeks to get everything ready.

Yet, in the ways that really matter, I am ready. More than that, I'm looking forward to it. May this be a great year!