Beginning a New Year

I can't believe that another year is upon us. I am going to have 23 first graders this year- all to myself. It's amazing. Such an enormous responsibility. I love it. I get so excited every year, and every year I think about all the good I can do and the difference I can make in a child's life. It is so amazing. I am a rockstar to many of these children. It's an amazing feeling. I'm not Janet Jackson or Julia Roberts. I'm just me... teaching these little guys to read and write. Instilling a sense of empowerment in these children is such a great feeling. I feel, almost, selfish. I am just a regular person. I'm not Ms. Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey... yet I make a difference. I know I do, and that is enough for me. Their smiles and sense of accomplishment is fulfilling. It is why I drag my tired behind out of bed every morning. I will continue to drag it out of bed - continue to have those "back to school" nightmares... Until I don't have it in me anymore. There will always be those students that baffle me and make me rethink everything I think I know about my ability to teach. But I'm not quitting.