Back-to-School Dread?

Teachers often have mixed feelings as the new school year approaches, but one of the most common—and least talked about—is dread. One teacher described it this way: "It’s like knowing that Mount Everest is in front of you, and you have to climb it. Again."

We decided to see what the TT Advisory Board had to say about these mixed feelings, asking them, "How do you feel at the beginning of the year, and what are your strategies for getting into the right mind space?" Here’s what some of them had to say.

‪Celeste Payne: For me, the school year is like an airplane flight. I use the most energy taking off (at the beginning of the year) and landing (at the end of the year).

‪I see each school year not as a blank slate but as a new opportunity for me to grow and learn with and from my colleagues and students. A new calendar or lesson plan book is the physical manifestation of this "new chapter" for me.

Barbie Garayúa Tudryn: On the years I finish strong, I start the new year strong. Ideas, after stewing all summer, become goals and I hit the ground running and full of excitement. A week ago, I decided to do some serious warrior training by diving head first into the biographies of Frederick Douglass and Frida Kahlo, two warriors whose voices exemplified courage and tenacity. I work on my journal as I'm reading, trying to capture the essence of the lessons with art or taking notes of important quotes or words of wisdom to use when things get difficult during the school year. So far, I’m almost ready, centered and fully recharged. ❤

Veronica Menefee: The start of a new school year can be hectic, but I focus on what I can do to make it better for my new students. Being that part of my duties includes special education, I'm in the school a week earlier than most to get files together and IEP copies. I also begin lesson planning and gathering needed materials so I don't feel rushed or pressured when everyone else enters the building a week later. Pre-planning really helps one to focus on what needs to be done and then ease into the start of a new school year. It doesn't hurt to take a vacation or timeout for self, if needed, to rejuvenate before you go back. 

Sarah Neely: I never dread going back. Sometimes I am more excited than other times. Even after 23 years, it still feels like reinvention as I work on updating skills and such over the summer. Sleeping before school is always difficult as my mind is racing, thinking of all the things I need to do in the classroom to prepare for day one. I write in a journal and do a year plan and a very detailed (blow-by-blow) plan for routines and such for the first week for second-graders.

Amy Melik: We start at the end of August. So on August 1st, I get up early and do two hours of work in the morning related to school. By the end of the month, I have done a lot of prep work already!! Giving myself permission to think about school for two hours allows me to truly relax, enjoy and savor the rest of the day without feeling the back-to-school pressure!

Carrie Gaffney: This might sound weird, but I approach the beginning of school as a sort of grief period. It's a time of uncertainty and change, and so I try to channel my uncertainty of a situation I cannot control into an opportunity to think about the things I can. 

Joe Schmidt: My summers were always so crazy with stuff and then football started almost a month before school did, and so by time school started, I was EXCITED about having some routines back in my life. I was so excited about getting to go back to doing what I loved so much. I like Celeste Payne’s analogy of taking off because my nerves kicked in during the middle of the year. I was worried about being able to maintain the energy and passion that I had at the beginning of the year. Eventually, routines become routine and then the struggle begins to find that excitement and passion in the learning for the kids each day. I guess I was most like‪ Amy Melik because, every day after practice, I would go to my classroom for a couple of hours and by time the year started, I usually had almost everything prepared for the first couple of months...then it was just waiting to get started.

How do you get into the right mind space to start the school year?