Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Hey Shakesbeer for everyone!!!

"In the school I went to, they asked a kid to prove the law of gravity and he threw the teacher out of the window." - Rodney Dangerfield, Back to School

It's that time of the year again, when students are pounded with books upon books there first day. The wander the halls aimlessly looking for the English class room on the second floor. Then they scan the room for friends they haven't seen in two months in order to feel more comfortable on the first day.

Yes, it's school time again. I remember my days as a high school punk walking the halls wishing school to be over. Now I am here everyday, teaching young kids about the value of a good education. This school year is already starting off in full gear. I am switching departments and switching extracurricular clubs. I can't say enough about the first week of school. Especially that first day. The impact you make on the first day can last the entire year. As I watch all the new students walk through the door, and watch the older ones grow beyond my height it makes me cherish the memories of my school days. On my first day as an eight grader at my high school, I remember being so nervous that I almost became sick. What calmed me down, maybe it was the fact that the day flew by so fast or it was friends who were also nervous looking for someone to ease their fears. Still, I walked trembling to my first class. It was Algebra. As I entered the classroom a teacher was there to great me with a smile. The room had this weird feeling like the walls were closing in as I sat in a seat. Then before I couldn't even think the class was over and on to the next class. When the carpool van picked us up to take us home, the car was filled with teacher gossip. The gossip spilled over to eventually reality that we would have to do this all over again tomorrow. Although, tomorrow won't be as bad because I knew that this is where I needed to be. There is no question that the first few steps on that first day were wobbly, but as the years moved on those steps were forgotten and replaced with firmer strides that reassured me of my place at a place that I now call my second home.