Summer is Waning

August always creates a little panic in the Hirsch household. August means that school is no longer a distant concern. August means that all of those school tasks we have been putting off now require our attention. August means that our days of flexible and varied schedules are going to be replaced with the 5am wake up and the 7 to 4 school day. Summer is waning.

As the days start to shorten again and I find that my evening walks are in the dark, I am pulled in two directions. I love my summers. They are one of the great perks of being a teacher. I have a list of things I could not or did not get done during the school year and I get through many of those throughout the summer. I review my school plans, too. I go over all the student feedback, evaluate my lessons and calendar, look at those many lists of  things I have been meaning to incorporate in my teaching, and read, read, read, read, read! Summer is a very productive time.

Sometimes at the end of July or the beginning of August, our assistant principal will open the electronic grade book and let us peek at our class lists in progress. The lists are not done. They are not finalized. It doesn’t matter. Now, instead of just school waiting for me at the end of August, specific students are in my future. This changes everything!

While I am still enjoying my summer flexibility, I am now thinking about the students with whom I will spend most of the year. Most of the students on my teaching load are freshmen, so I don’t know them at all. I recognize some names; some are neighbors, and a few I have met in other contexts. But they are strangers. My seniors, on the other hand, are not. I want to run outside, down the block, and knock on doors and say, “We are sharing class this year!” or “We are back together!” They don’t see their schedules for another week or two, so I can’t do that. Yes, there are names that elicit less enthusiasm, too, but that is rare. In my thirty plus years in the classroom, I can count on one hand the number of students I really did not rejoice in teaching. And students, like all people, grow and change. No student should be stuck with last year’s (or two years ago’s) baggage. At the beginning of school, everyone deserves a fresh start and a clean slate. I roll out the red carpet for every student with whom I work.

Getting ready for all these fresh faces takes a ton of work! August, and the appearance of these draft lists, means that I need to start getting ready – beyond writing lesson plans, ordering books, and reading articles. I need to create role lists. I need to make nameplates. I need to share documents on Google drive and create classes in turnitin.com. I need to set the table and put food on it! Hungry kids will be here soon!

I start making little forays into the building. I get my rooms ready. I print out materials and make a few copies. I sent kids welcome emails. I see my colleagues and catch up. I realize how vital my school community is and how it energizes and renews me. And despite my love of summer, how much I have missed it.

In two weeks, I will greet my new freshmen and their families. I can barely wait. I will savor the waning days of free summer, but now my focus is on fall. Time to go back to class!