Teachers have been back at AFS since August 30, holding division and departmental meetings and getting their classrooms ready for the re-opening of school. Faculty members in each division were asked to write about what the first day of school meant to them. Here are excerpts from their responses.
Jordan Burkey, Upper School Physics Teacher:
“Teachers feel the same whirlpool of emotions as the students. We’re excited, nervous, full of anticipation, wondering what our students will teach us this year. We have spent the summer resting, rejuvenating, planning and gearing up for this year, and now we can’t wait to share all that we can with our students during what will inevitably feel like precious little time.
“This year I am teaching my Astronomy elective course. Some of the seniors in the class have talked about taking it since they were freshmen. With everything that has happened in Astronomy, in just the three short years between then and now, we can’t wait to start this journey together!”
Erin Timmer, Middle School Social Studies Teacher:
“After 17 years of teaching, I still get nervous the night before school starts. A million questions run through my mind — Will I enjoy this class? Can I figure out what makes them interested and invested in what I’m teaching? Will they meld into a class that has a definable and positive impact on the school?
“But truth be told, as much as I lose sleep the night before, I love the first day of school. At no other time are the possibilities so open. Each year is literally a fresh start, both for students — even if I know them from previous years, who knows who they will have grown into over the summer? — and for me as a teacher. I love the challenge of new curriculum and the comfort of familiar units and favorite lessons.”
Felix Chen, Third Grade Teacher:
“The first day of school is so wonderfully unique. Throughout the day, we introduce and re-introduce ourselves to each other through various games and activities. One of my favorite opening activities is going on a class scavenger hunt, where students ask each other questions. There are always surprises and exclamations of “I didn’t know that!” and “Me, too!” For [Collaborating Teacher] Shana Silverman and me, it’s a chance to get to know as many new things as we can about our students and also for them to ask us questions and get to know us, too!
“We also talk about our hopes and dreams for the year. I love the simplicity in the wishes of 8 and 9 year olds — ‘I hope I get to make new friends this year,’ ‘I hope to be a better reader,’ ‘I hope third grade is as good as second grade,’ and ‘I hope we learn a lot about China’ are some of the desires and goals I’ll hear. And when we look back at the end of the year, it is gratifying to see our hopes and wishes come true.”
Because the first day has a special significance for seniors, two members of the Class of 2017 also were invited to write. Here are excerpts:
Louis Platt:
“On the first day of senior year, I am going to take a mental step back and take in the excitement of being together with the Class of 2017 for one last school year. This is important to me because I appreciate the people I see on a daily basis more than ever. Knowing myself, when I am in college next school year, I will think back to the funny and joyful memories I made this year and wish I were back there.
Anna Guaracao:
“I still remember my first day of kindergarten at AFS. My mom held my hand as I entered a strange classroom with only a couple people that I recognized from preschool. From that moment, I knew; I hated the first day of school. It’s a time that I have to crawl out a comfort zone that I have been living in all summer, listen to teachers all day and focus on a subject that I might not care about. However, this year’s first day is special. It’s the ‘beginning of the end.’
“AFS has helped raise me to be the person that I am today. This community has taught me how to read, write, how to be proud of who I am, how to honor the idea of stewardship and so much more. These familiar hallways, walls and teachers are essentially another home to me. So will I hate the first day of my senior year? No. On the contrary, I will feel a grand sentiment of nostalgia and excitement.”
—Edited By Lil Swanson