August always reminds me of the stresses that accompany a new school year.
Yes, the month has thirty-one days, but as a teacher I felt the month would never end. There were no holidays, no chances for snow days, no breaks in the school calendar.
I also felt a certain amount of anxiety every August 1. Even after teaching for forever (notice my hyperbole there), I still struggled with the fear of the unknown.
Would I have any troublemakers? Would I be able to meet the students’ needs? Would my kids’ parents be supportive? Would my kids like me or hate me? Would the administration change my schedule?
In hindsight, however, I believe forging ahead through the month of August set the stage for enduring life’s other battles.
According to Friedrich Nietzsche, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”
I’m not sure my students agreed with me, but I felt the month-long preparations for vocabulary, grammar lessons, writing assignments, reading assignments, and research (without any interruptions) set the stage for a great year.
And getting to know my kids—it was all worth the wait and the struggle.
As this month gets under way, teachers have already been attending professional development sessions for their school systems. They have spent days setting up their classrooms. They have attended summer workshops to learn the latest trends in their fields, and they have been preparing lessons. Believe me, they are earning their pay.
When Frank McCourt, famed author of Angela’s Ashes, was asked why he took so long to write his books, he credited teaching as the culprit:
“I was teaching, that’s what took me so long. Not in college or university, where you have all the time in the world for writing and other diversions, but in four different New York City public high schools. When you teach five high school classes a day, five days a week, you’re not inclined to go home to clear your head and fashion deathless prose. After a day of five classes your head is filled with the clamor of the classroom.”—from Frank McCourt’s Teacher Man
I love that phrase “the clamor of the classroom”!
A new school year doesn’t just cause stress for the adults involved. Do you remember your first ever day of school? I was terrified! I couldn’t wait to grab my older sister’s hand at the end of the day and find freedom in the familiar.
I also remember crying uncontrollably when my family moved to a new town and I had to attend a new junior high school. I knew no one, and I knew no one would like me. Oh, the angst of those teenage years! If we are honest, we will all admit our fears and frustrations.
Books like Little Mole Goes to School and The Anxious Lily (see previous blogs) suggest some great ways to cope with these feelings for younger kids. Here’s an excerpt from another recommendation:
“It’s okay to feel worried. And it’s okay to feel scared—even when you’re trying not to show it. Remember to tell yourself that you’re going to be okay. Some fears are big, and you’ll need to ask for help. Talk to a grown-up. Talk to a friend—because talking can help you figure things out. Most of all, talk to God. He knows exactly how to protect and comfort you.”—from God, I Feel Scared written by Michelle Nietert and Tama Fortner and illustrated by Nomar Perez
Caris Snider offers advice to older kids when she refers to teen troubles as “anxiety elephants.” In her 90-day devotional she encourages teens to use studying the scriptures and journaling as a coping mechanism.
“Did you know that our brains cannot be anxious and thankful at the same time? This attitude of gratitude will trigger feel-good hormones in your body called serotonin and dopamine which block negative thoughts from being in charge.
By concentrating on positive things, you are rewiring your brain and teaching it what to focus on. The Lord knows the power of gratitude. He tells us to bring every situation to Him by prayer and thanksgiving.”—Caris Snider
I encourage adults to also find a quiet time for a daily devotional. These moments can calm your fears and strengthen your resolve for the day. Just Breathe has been a blessing to me in 2024.
“Lord, in exchange for my fears, I will choose faith. Instead of anticipating the worst, I will trust because I know You are in control.”—from “Choose Faith over Fear” in Just Breathe, a 365-day devotional journal by Ellie Claire
Maybe you can imagine the anxiety of a toddler on the first day of pre-school or the fear of a college freshman on the first day of class.
Dr. Ralph Hillman, one of my favorite teachers from college, taught me the importance of empathy. Trying for a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes and looking at the situation from the other person’s perspective can be helpful in every situation. Tony Danza’s book I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had about his own experience as a teacher is a great example of seeing the picture from both sides.
In case I need to offer apologies as well, I’ll re-share my appreciation for some of the great teachers in my own life. Here is my “Tribute to Teachers” blog from several years ago.
As Aretha Franklin might say, let’s give teachers, teens, tweens, and toddlers some “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” this school year.
My blessings go out to teachers, students, administrators, guidance counselors, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, custodians, SROs, office staff, and everyone involved with education—you are my heroes.
You can do it! Philippians 4:13
Whether you’re starting pre-school or prep-school, kindergarten or college, or heading into your thirtieth year of teaching, may your backpacks be blessed and your school year be stupendous!
“Give me a deepening knowledge of truth and a finer discernment of the ideas I encounter in my studies. Guard my mind always against error, and guard also my heart against the temptation to compare my own performance to the work of my peers, and so to fall into either of the twin traps of shame or pride. Grant instead that I might happily steward what scholarly gifts you have apportioned me, and that I might do so as means of preparing myself for service to you and to others, my identity drawn from your love and forgiveness, and not from my grade or accolades here.”—from “A Liturgy for Students & Scholars” in Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
“In the old school, parents were responsible for getting their children ready for school, and then they were also responsible for their behavior.”—from Peter Slovenski’s Old School America
“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”—William Butler Yeats
“The teacher must be an actor, an artist, passionately in love with his work.”—Anton Chekhov
Psalm 94:19; 2 Timothy 1:7; Philippians 4:6; Luke 6:40; Colossians 3:16
