Wide Awake at 4:00A.M.
September 2nd, 2008 by Mike Smart
No matter how many years I teach, I always wake up well before I need to during the first week back to school. Last night I set my alarm for 6:00A.M., but this morning I snapped wide awake at four in the morning, ready to go. I sat there for an hour trying to fall back to sleep, then finally I just gave up and got up.
I’m sure this happens because I’m pretty much a big ball of nerves and adrenaline the first week of school. A lot of it comes from realizing the importance of a good start to the year, and from realizing how quickly students assess your effectiveness. A good September is the key to a good year, and the first week is critical for establishing the routines that will dictate the tone of the class. I feel like I set the tone, the pace, and the mood of the class in the first week, and if I can do things right then, the rest of the month has a good chance to go well. In many ways I suppose teaching a class is like raising a child: every year is important, but those early years are critical for development and learning. Likewise, the first week of the school year lays the foundation for the rest of the year, and that’s enough to freak me out in the middle of the night for a few days.
