Are you glad it’s Friday? I sure am! When my alarm clock screeched at me this morning, I gave it a solid whack of satisfaction. I knew Friday had finally arrived. Yippee! In fact, on my way into work I decided a special Friday giveaway was in order. Y’all have been working exceptionally hard at readying your classrooms and making back-to-school plans. Some of you have even already welcomed your new group of students. So in honor of your hard work and dedication, I’m going to give my car to one lucky winner. Oh, wait a minute, that’s not fair—no one wants my car! (It has one of those annoying payment books.) Instead, how about a free book from The Mailbox Books? Now that’s something to get excited about! 🙂
To enter this book giveaway, simply share a favorite back-to-school memory from your teaching career. If you’re new to teaching, feel free to share a favorite back-to-school memory from your own school days. Be sure to comment before the end of Tuesday, August 31. Otherwise you’ll miss out on a chance to win The Mailbox book of your choice.
Happy Friday!
Diane
PS: Congratulations to our winner, Dotty!
I love it when children come to my school and cry at the end of the day because they do not want to go home! That makes me feel so good that they want to stay and play!
My favorite back to school memory is from when I first entered kindergarten. I was so terribly nervous and scared. Just when I thought I was going to break down and cry, I felt little fingers slip into the palm of my hand and squeeze gently. Surprised, I looked over to see another little girl smiling at me. She leaned in and whispered “We won’t be scared, if we’re together.” Immediately, I felt reassured and welcome. She became my favorite playmate and confidante throughout that entire year.
Nothing compares to the start of your first year teaching. However, my favorite thing about back-to-school is walking into my classroom after being gone all summer. Just the smell of the classroom reminds me of my first year and of the start of this new year. I love it!
My favorite back to school memory is about one of my students. He would cry everyday because he had never been away from home. I would let him blow bubbles because that was the only way I could get him to stop crying. So every morning he would go with me for 5 minutes or so, while my aide stayed in the room singing songs with the rest of the class. One day he came and didn’t cry. I hugged him and he asked when he could go blow bubbles! Of course I let him and the rest of the class all go outside and we celebrated the new school year!
I am a licensed family child care provider. I love the excitement the kids have about going to school. It is always hard when a child leaves for kindergarten after being in the program since birth (generally), the friendships are amazing. The best part of the first day of school is when the get off the bus to come to day care after school and all the friends are hugging, saying how they missed each other, and then usually comes a comment about how their new teacher isn’t as fun as me. Always make me feel good that I have had a positive impact on the kids in my center.
My favorite back to school memory is the excitement of all the new textbooks. They smell good :o) LOL And they are filled with shiny pictures and new discoveries. I love getting new books & I try to pass that excitement on to my students.
Maybe not a favorite memory but one that sticks out for sure.
I was hired at a new school,replaced a teacher who was promoted. On the first day as the students entered one parent actually yelled at me that I was not her child’s teacher. She expected the other teacher of course and was very upset about the change without notification.
That year did not start off to well, but by mid year that parent was one of my biggest helpers!
That is a hard one!! Every year I have firsts and this is year 7 for me! Last year I had a little boy that cried everyday of the previous year, but didn’t cry in my room and somehow knew as long as I was there he would be okay. But I think it has to be getting to know a new bunch of kids and still learning things every day. It is amazing what kids teach you and I never tire of it. And going through books and catalogs to get inspired to make what you do even better!!
my favorite memories are, having taught so long ago, those scared little first graders who cried and hugged their mommy’s leg the first day of school and are now all grown up. When I see them today with their own families, it’s so amusing to get that mental picture in my head of that same little boy crying and tugging on his mommy’s shirt!
As preschool director, I love the back to school moment when you get to see your returning students for the first time and they run to give you a hug! You get to see how much they have changed over the summer!!
that “first”day is always a memorable one when you teach 3 to 4 year olds. some kids sail in as if they own the place and there are those who cry and cry and cry. what i remember every year for the last 4 that i have been teaching this age group is that i never find time to use the bathroom all day!
I know it’s time for school to start when I can’t sleep at night because I’m thinking about all the things I need to do to get ready for school. I love getting letters from my students from last year telling me about how excited they are about this new year. This year was different for me because for the first time in 35 years I moved up with most of my class. I was doubly excited to see the faces from last year and hoped that they would remember some of the things I taught them. (We’ve already had two and a half weeks of school and they have remembered! Yea!) Beginning a new year is the best!
This year was quite memorable. Upon the arrival of my first three students the lights flickered and then the power went out. It stayed out for about an hour. Sure didn’t plan for that one!! My room had very limited lighting from the only 2 windows I have. Overall we survived but it sure taught me to plan for the inevitable!
Kindergarten students are screened on the first days of school in my district. I love going to see my students from the previous year! They are always so excited to see me (probably more than when they were in my class)! I’m as excited to see them as they are to see me!
While it initially was not a favorite memory, it has become one for me (and one that is retold among my colleagues year to year!) My very first year of teaching, I was so excited – had laid out my clothes, packed my lunch the night before, I knew my classroom was totally ready, and I felt very confident in what I was about to do. That very first morning, I awoke to my phone ringing, and in a sleepy daze heard the secretary asking me where I was – I had completely overslept and there was no way I was going to make it on time. So with panic in my chest (and no shower!) I raced to school. The ironic part about the day (and the most reassuring) is that the day before, the superintendent had given a speech to the entire district about how she was late to work her very first day. AS she came through our building that day, I decided to tell her about MY day – she just started laughing and said “It happens to the best of us.” I think I knew then that I would make mistakes, I wouldn’t be the first, and that life goes on – good lessons for the classroom, and real life!!!
I love the smell of the new school supplies (pencils, pens, paper, binders, etc.
I love all the back to school sales. A great deal on markers and crayons is all I need to get my year off the a great start.
My all time favorite first day of school memories always are bittersweet. I am a coop preschool teacher so my families repeat with each child. I now look out at the first circle of each year and look at the children and think to myself I held you as a baby and you as a baby. Then it hits me how old I am getting. LOL
i remember how much i loved going to the store with my brother and sister and buying all the new school supplies!! (i loved how everything was clean, shiny, and new!) we would bring everything home and play “school supply store” by spreading it all out on the sofas and going “shopping”. i still love getting new school and teacher supplies at the start of the year, and the feeling of starting afresh and meeting new little friends!
One of my first memories isn’t about me but someone in my first grade class. She lived across from the school and our classroom was next to an outside door.
She got out of her seat and ran out the door and all the way home. Now I laugh about it when I think of school starting.
Every year on the first day of school, I stand before them and think, “Wow! I can’t believe I’m a teacher and am fortunate enough to be here and teach them.” I have been a teacher for 11 years now and without fail sometime on the first day, I have that thought.
I have always loved school, both as a student and as a teacher. One of my favorite memories was the year I was meeting and greeting my new crop of kindergartners and their parents and realizing that my palms were not sweaty and I was calm, a remarkable improvement from previous years. I felt like I was becoming a pro!
I always enjoyed meeting the new students coming in as well as the old. i work in a day care so we end moving the children around in the summer and i usually get some of my old ones back as well as a few new faces. this year year I will have a whole crop of new faces, I can’t wait….. Usually the children all excited.
I love how the little faces just say “teacher teacher” on the first day(some a few days longer then others) for they have forgotten your name. You know is a few short days that will be gone and they will use your name and the “hay you” will also disapear as the class melts into a coheasive family.
I love seeing my former students come back to school ready to be in another class. I also like hearing from their teachers that they said they learned that last year in my class or they remember something we did together.
I also like seeing my new students for the first time. I like thinking of all of the adventures we are going to have. I also like to cherish the fact that I have one of the best jobs in the world.
I love the first day of school,because I have the three year olds,the ones who never been in daycare.
When they come to my room you can see excitement on some of there faces and you can see some are afraid,
But after you reasure them and give them a little love and hug during the day most of them be alright.
I’m just Bless to be able to work with children, because I think children are a Gift From GOD.And I would not have it any other way.
This year will probably be remembered by me as the most stressful beginning to a school year. The kids are fine and I have a fabulous class. However, I live in Florida and my air conditioning was broken all through preplanning and the first few days of school. It was over 100 degrees in the classroom. We were all dying! I was never so happy to see someone in my whole life as I was to see the repairman come on the third day of school with my new part!
I have worked as a Special Needs Paraprofessional in a Life Skills classroom for 2 years. I had some of the same students last fall from the previous school year. Last Sept. when school began, one of the students hugged me & said “I won’t call you f… retard anymore Ms. Mahoney!” From the mouth of babes – I couldn’t help smile & give him a big hug back! Not your traditional back-to-school memory but I got such a kick out of it. He has a lot of difficulties but is a beautiful boy!
My favorite school memory was always from the first couple of days back to school when I would get my new books assigned to me for the year. I loved that!!! Oh, and the smell of the new ditto sheets!
My favorite memory was of a mom and dad who were reluctant to leave their kindergartner in my care. The child sensed her parents’ nervousness and reacted with tears. I took the lunch count for the day, had the kids get in line, and told the tearful one that I needed her help to carry the lunch basket. She held onto the basket with me and stopped crying. I heard her mom say, “I like this teacher!”
While working with my new group of students the classroom phone rang; the office informed me that a student from the year before was in there with her summer homework (this student had been particularly difficult) and she was going to a new school. I told the office that the student didn’t have to turn it in. I continued to teach when I felt someone looking at me from the door. It was the student with a t-shirt for me with my favorite character and the words “Sweetheart” written on it. I was moved to know that somehow I had touched this student and she had touched me as well. This reminded me why I love teaching (this is my 28th year!!!)
One of my favs is the 1st time a student from the previous yr begged me 2 come back 2 my 1st grade class
One of my favorite memories was when I was teaching 1st grade and a Hispanic parent came the first day to drop of her son. In Spanish she told him, “You speak English.” I was so touched by her comment that she made to her son. He was a wonderful student and worked very hard at learning English. Later in the year he would help translate what his mother was asking to me.
This year will be my first “back-to-school” memory as an adult. I started student teaching at the beginning of this month. The memory I enjoy the most is when one little guy asked if I was actually going to be teaching. When I confirmed that I would, in fact, be in front of the classroom in just a couple of weeks he said, “All RIGHT! I get to learn from you, too!” He, and many others in the class feel special that they get to have two teachers in the classroom. I was so happy to be welcomed with such excitement. This is a 5th grade class, and I expected them to dread the idea of two adults in the room for some reason.
I have two favorite memories…one is when my former students who are now “big first graders” come by and see me on their way to the “big” hall and when they come back to read to my new class. It makes me feel very proud.
A student named Michael walked up to me and said, ‘You can call me M Dog.’, I kindly looked at him and said my name and said and I will be your teacher this week and I will be calling you Michael. ; )
My favorite memory happened this year with a student I had last year. Due to his home life and past experiences in school, this guy had a lot of trouble respecting the adults in his life and building relationships with others. He also had a lot of self esteem issues. I worked with him, treated him with respect and we survived the year together (not without headaches!) He was supposed to move to another school this year. To my surprise, he didn’t! He comes to me every day after school with hugs and we carry on mututally respectful conversations. He tells me what a great year he is having so far. When he was tested for gifted this year, he asked the gifted teacher to tell me that he was being tested for the “Challenge” class because he knew I would be so proud of him. He also gets to be a “buddy” to a second grader. He told me he is going to set a good example for his buddy. This little guy has come so far and I got to be a part of that! This is the first time I was able to learn how I have impacted a student’s life. Teaching children to be respectful, productive citizens who are able to grow socially and intellectually is what my job is truly about- Not how much math or reading I can cram into their heads before the state tests. Watching these kids grow makes it all worth while!
Christian, my student with several years of Resource Specialist Program services, was quite excited about being a fourth grade student. When granted the opportunity to read aloud from his Open Court Reading text, he read a sentence, decoding two words. Christian stoped himself and exclaimed, “I tried and tried, and now I know how to read!”
Seeing that it’s my first year, I will share a memory from my daughter’s back to school day!
I loved the first day of school last year. After a hard year in the previous grade and lots of health problems, she returned to school very anxious about her new teacher and new class.
That day, when I picked her up from the bus stop, I asked her how school was. For the first time, the word “AWESOME” came out of her mouth. I was so happy for her! And with our great luck, it continued to be her response for the entire year!!
This is my first year teaching and I can honestly say I will remember that first day for the rest of my life! I got all the kids where they needed to be and on time!
I am working with my second group of looping students so I was excited to see how much they had grown over the summer and wondered if some matured. But on Open House night when they came to see me before school started only one student talked to me. He told me what he did over the summer like I had asked in a letter. I had to ask everyone else how their summer went and what they did. However, when we met again and the parents weren’t around, I heard everything and more. And they haven’t stopped talking yet!!
We will start on Monday, and this year will definitely be memorable. I will face this new group of 5th graders will a full-blown case of poison oak. I also went to get my dark brown hair highlighted with a warm brown and teh hairdresser dyed it blonde. It can only get better from here!
I think every year my favorite memories are when I get to meet the some excited, some nervous kindergarten students and their parents for the first time. I also love when the children I have taught in the past come back to give me a hug and tell me about their summers!!!
I love the newness of the first day. New school supplies, new clothes, and new shoes. The floors have a fresh coat of wax and the room is newly decorated. It’s always memorable because it’s a brand new beginning for everyone.
I teach kindergarten and you never know what to expect on the first day. Each new year holds its own memories!
Every year at our school’s “Meet the Teacher” day, which takes place the week before school begins, I feel a mix of nervousness and excitement as I wait in anticipation to meet each new 2nd grade student and parent. Just a few weeks ago, this event took place once again. One of my new students came in with both parents, greeted me, went on my classroom’s scavenger hunt around the classroom, took a picture with me, and then left. He had been very excited, but was pretty shy and didn’t say too much to me. About 30 minutes later he walked back in the room, with his parents laughing behind him. They told me that he told them that he had to come back to my room before they left to go home, and that he had something very important to tell me, but he wouldn’t tell them what. My precious student then gave me a huge hug, and looked up at me and said, “I just know that this is going to be the best year ever! I can’t wait!” All nervous jitters were gone as I returned his enormous hug and told him that he just made my day. I won’t ever forget that!
The smiles, the beaming smiles when they walk in the room and locate their new seats and new classmates. Everyone deserves a fresh start!
My favorite first day is every year when new children and “old” children come and hug as I welcome them back to school.
One of my favorite back to school memories was during my first year of teaching kindergarten. At calendar time at the end of the first week of school, I explained that I would see them in two days. One little boy asked, “Why not tomorrow, teacher?” I explained that there is no school on Saturdays and Sundays, so that they could relax and spend time with their families. He was shocked, and teardrops started to flow. He said that he didn’t want to miss school ever, because it was so much fun. All the kids agreed that it was “no fair” that they couldn’t go to school on weekends! That same little boy had been scared to come to school on the first day, and I was overjoyed to hear his change of heart.
I too love seeing how big my kindergartners have gotten and how excited they are to see me again after a long summer. It is also great to welcome so many new students and parents into my class.
My favorite back to school memory is getting to see the kids after summer and seeing how they grow and change. I also love their excitement over new school supplies, clothes, classmates, etc. I get so much enjoyment seeing them discover the “new” things in their classroom that were different from last year. Overall, i really enjoy the excitement and of course, the new school supplies!
My favorite Back to School memory/event is reading all the wonderful books about the beginning of school to my kindergarten class. This year, we already had such a wonderful time of reading Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and celebrating the first gift their parents gave them – their name, the meaning and how special they are.
Evidently, I have raised a strong, independent young woman: On the first day of school, my 6-year-old dismissed me from her new classroom with a rather peremptory, “Good-BYE, Mom.” Mercifully, her new teacher is a pro and moved quickly to avert any tears (from me, that is!) by reminding my little Miss Independence to give me a hug & kiss before I left 😀
I love the excitment of the new school year in the air as the kiddos enter the building. They are usually all a-buzz with such energy…seeing friends again they have not seen all summer, chatting about their vacation adventures, showing off new clothes, shoes, bookbags, ect. Just a certain atmosphere that you do not get any other day of the year. Here’s to a GREAT 2010-11 school year!:)