Here we are—the first day of school!  The 2023-2024 school year marks yours portly’s thirteenth consecutive year in the classroom (after returning to my current school in 2011), and my fourteenth year total (I taught at my current school in the 2008-2009 school year, before being unceremoniously dumped due to the privations of the Great Recession).  It’s been a crazy ride.

I’m at that point in my teaching career where I can pretty much coast in terms of course prep and assessments.  I’ve pretty much memorized American history (well, at least, the very limited survey of American history that I teach), and as anyone who reads this blog knows, I can wax poetic on pretty much any topic for hours (much to my students’ chagrin, I imagine).  It’s a good place to be professionally.

That said, it can get stale at times.  When you’ve taught the same basic version of American history for over a decade, even with occasional updates from learning new facets of historical events, it can get boring.  Fortunately, the students help keep it fresh, and each year brings a new crop of younglings with their own interests, perspectives, and questions.

I’d be lying if I wrote that I was excited for this school year.  I am not.  I’ve grown accustomed to living the sweet life this summer, and it’s nice being productive on my terms.  I’ve also grown weary of the increasingly bureaucratic nature of education, and how mollycoddled kids have become.

However, I’m entering this school year determined to bring a positive and optimistic mentality to my classes.  I’ve let my weariness and exhaustion show too much in the past; this year, I want to maintain a strong sense of energy and passion.  Kids pick up on adults’ moods very easily (and, yet, are often oblivious when we most need them to pay attention), and if I’m coming in sour and tired, they’re going to respond in kind.

One hope this year is to spend less time lecturing and more time reading and interpreting historical documents.  I’m also going to push my Middle School Music Ensemble (and myself in regards to it) much harder.  They are a talented group, and I think they are capable of amazing musical accomplishments.

Anyway, here’s to a new school year—and to lifelong learning!