Will You Sleep on Sunday?

Someone once told me that if the time comes when you can sleep well the night before the first day of school, it's time for you to get out of the profession.

Whaddya think?

I always, always, always toss and turn and wrestle butterflies in my stomach on the first-day-of-school-eve.  Even now in my job as Curriculum Coordinator, there's just something about the anticipation of the first day that gives me the excited jitters.

I get SO excited to see the kids -- some rubbing their sleepy eyes, some holding back tears of nervousness, some bouncing up and down the hallways as if they never left.

I LOVE seeing their new school goodies - their clothes, shoes, bookbags, lunch boxes, and even their new 'dos.

I REVEL in the energy that quickly fills the school as those new shoes squeak across the freshly waxed floors.  As I've mentioned before, a school is just not right until it's full of children.

I BASK in all of the sounds that echo down the hallway as the day gets going - children talking, laughing, saying bye to their nervous mamas... the sounds of bookbags unzipping, pencils being sharpened, rules being taught.

You see, as hard as it has been to leave my little girl to come back to work, I honestly enjoy the first day of school as much as the last day.  And sure, on the last day of school, we were dancing and cheering and singing and grooving on the back sidewalk, shouting, "SCHOOL'S...OUT...FOR...SUMMER!"

But let's bring that same energy, that same excitement to our kids on Monday.

And I can guarantee that if you're tossing and turning on Sunday night, batting at butterflies instead of counting sheep... you're not alone.