First day 7th time

First day of school. New student. Old students with a new attitude. They have grown. They are confident and kind and cute and cocky. They are full of business one minute, focused and ready to face new challenges , silly and smart aleck the next.

I remind myself everyday that you have trusted me with the most valuable thing you have. I continually ask myself, "What am I really teaching them?"

When I do something for them am I telling them that they cannot do it themselves.

If I tell them "good job" when both they and I know it is not their best, am I telling them it's o.k. to be lazy.

If I forget to tell them they have done well am I telling them that what they have done is not important.

If I don't listen to them am I telling them that they aren't important.

If I let them interrupt am I telling them that other people are not important.

Every decision to do something or not to do something can seem so important, but what I really need to do today is relax and enjoy the kids, because they make me laugh everyday. And I need to remember last year when I asked Jeremy what his favorite subject was, he started with reading and didn't stop until he had named every single thing we do.