Here's to New Beginnings

For many students the start of school marks not a beginning, but the end of summer vacation. For teachers, however, the start of a new school year is a new beginning and one of my favorite times of year.

Throughout my school career, what I enjoy about the end of August was getting ready for the new school year. I actually enjoyed going shopping with my mom for new clothes at J.C. Penny’s and then heading over to the dime store to pick out a themed trapper keeper and matching A-Team Lunch box. I loved organizing and labeling my markers, pencils and pink erasers and putting them into my school box. Each year I was fully equipped for the challenges ahead.

As a teacher this enjoyment of preparation continued. I got excited about getting my new plan book and putting the students’ names in the back. I loved individually numbering the books I have ordered, and looked forward to going to Office Depot and to buy my school supplies.

Even more than this ritual, I enjoy the feeling of a fresh start and the opportunity to improve and make resolutions for the coming year. It’s clear that many of the students share this same feeling. Lined in the hallways are student goals and recommendations for success regarding this upcoming year.

Here is a sample from 3rd grade:
Stay focused and be a good listener.
Be patient.
Listen to Mrs. Sanders.
Try hard and have fun.
Share and Pray.
Make the most out of every recess.
Say, “I think I can.”

Maybe my favorite, “Do some math.”

I think this is evidence enough that the transition from summer to academics has been a smooth one. The students have embraced the new changes brought about by having new teachers and new expectations and have slid right into a rhythm in only a few days. That is something that I am proud of. Even more so, I am proud that our new students have been warmly welcomed into our family by the returning students. This student and parent community should be commended for the many ways that they have made those of us who are new, feel comfortable.

From my point of view I see a very happy group of children and faculty that are truly enjoying getting to know one another.

In as much as August is a time of fresh promises, it is also a honeymoon time. It is a time when everything runs smoothly and everyone is putting their best put forward.

 I liked how my Algebra teacher Dr. Jalbert put it. On the first day of class with every one of his classes he began with the same speech. He said, “Right now you all have a 100% in my class.” He followed up that sentence with, “But let me assure you that not everyone will finish the year with 100%”. I certainly didn’t. And not everyone at LAES will finish this year with perfect attendance or straight A+s . Some students will miss a few on their Friday spelling test or forget to bring in their homework. But perfection is not the goal of school. Matter of fact, it is the bumps in the road that are the opportunities from which our students learn the most.

To the question, “What is it that most parents want for their children?” Dr. Robert Brooks writes in his book Raising Resilient Children: “Happiness, success in school, satisfaction with their lives, and solid friendships quickly come to mind. If we examine our parental goals, it would not be an oversimplification to conclude that the realization of these goals requires that our children have the inner strength to deal competently and successfully, day after day, with the challenges and demands they encounter. We call this capacity to cope and feel competent, resilience.”

I, along with the rest of the faculty, look forward to working with the students and to seeing them thrive, and yes, even to seeing them stumble or make mistakes from which they will grow. We do this with a tremendous amount of support and knowledge that these experience, in the end, will build the resilience that is so essential for their development.

Jonathan Sheahen
Elementary School Principal, Lipscomb Academy