Fresh Start August

 August is a time for new beginnings. Some kiddos are already back in school while others are gathering school supplies to return after Labor Day. Either way there is an excitement as students and staff come back after a break to share their summer stories and begin a fresh new year. The binders are new and uncluttered but there is also a hope that this will be a year of friendship, learning and coming together. 

There are those who have school anxiety whether it is because of bullying, feeling academic content is too difficult or other insecurities. For these students there is not an excitement but a dread of returning to school. It is important that we recognize the angst these feel as they put on their new shoes and try to smile through the pain. None want to worry their parents with their fears but it is important to recognize that for some the returning to school feels like their worse nightmare. We need to support all of our kiddos and recognize that they come from different experiences and personalities. Imagine you were required to have a twelve year career where you were continuously evaluated by multiple people throughout the day. To make matters worse it is a career built on your weakness not your strength. For me that would be math but even math I can do. Now calculus is another story. Nobody is going to expect me to teach higher level math at the high school that is for sure. What we would need to navigate this would be strategies, support, and others to guide us not in judgement but in encouragement. When a worker comes to a task that is beyond their skill set a coworker is typically assigned to work along side them or to take over that component completely. Students need our understanding and support. We all know that we shut down when life gets overwhelming. Learning does not take place once shut down has occurred. 

Let’s make this school year fruitful for all students and staff. Perhaps next August there will be more looking forward to the new school year than there are today. As a retired special ed teacher I am not facing the school year in a classroom. But I can pray and ask how I can support my friends who are still in the trenches and their students. Putting them in my prayer journal is one way but actions matter too. So reach out and ask what you can do and I will do the same. 

In Him,

Joyful

8-16-22