Happy New (School) Year

"It scares me to think that one day I'm not going to be in school anymore." - Natalie Portman


With the start of school just days (ack!) away, I have been trying to enjoy every last morning I can sleep in, each sunny afternoon I can spend reading outside and those 10:00 o'clock TV shows that I can never seem to stay awake for for the better part of the year.  I know it is just a matter of time before I am fully back into the swing of things and the lazy days of summer will be a distant memory.  But what a summer it has been; certainly one of the best yet!

Through most of June I was in lay-off status from my job and there was a possibility that I would not be starting this school year in a school.  A scary thought for me since I have been in school in some capacity every fall since 1985.  Between my own PreK-12 years, undergrad, post-grad, graduate school, substitute teaching and now full time school counseling, school and the school year has been a major foundation of my life.  Every year around September, as the leaves change color and I once again start school, I find myself making resolutions and reflecting on my life in preparation for the new year.  It's as if the calendar runs from September - August instead of January - December.

This year as I head back to school in a new position, I am truly thankful for the opportunity to return, as this was not always a given.  I am hopeful that I can inspire my students as so often they inspire me with their youthful outlook on life.  I am grateful for the many abilities that God has so graciously bestowed upon me and I am excited to see what is in store for me over the next year.  Although I will miss my co-workers and high school students in my old building, I am ready for my new adventure with middle schoolers.

I hope as the weather turns colder and you or your family members start the new school year, you too can take a minute to reflect on the year that has past, and the year to come as instruction ends in the classroom, but our education continues for a lifetime.

Fingers crossed for a decent school picture this year.  :)

xo,
Jennie