First Day of School!

When I was a child, I was a total nerd.  

Ok, maybe a geek.  

I seriously LOVED the first day of school.  I loved the smell of fresh paper, fresh crayons, and the very cool pencils I selected for use on the first day assignments.  I loved taking down assignments in my fresh agenda, and I loved making sure I had all of the necessary forms and checks ready to present to the teacher on the second day of school.  I LOVED SCHOOL!  Of course, like anything else, it had its moments, but as a whole I was a pretty happy kid (with the exception of middle school--gotta love those hormones!)

Tomorrow is a first day of school.  

I'm less than thrilled.  

In 10 hours those lovely faces will be looking at me with that anticipation of the year ahead.  The first day is crucial for the remainder of the year.  I have to come across as cool and in charge (which I normally am, but you just never know with the particular group of individuals that comes into your room).  I was telling some friends today that I'm the teacher that is not mean, but demanding in terms of excellence, and then I become friendlier as the year progresses.  

Do I want my students to like me?  I do, but at the same time, I do not need approval from ghetto 12 year olds--I have friends my own age, thank you very much.  I've recently learned that my reputation is: "that short white lady who is pretty tough, but you end up liking her because she's very fair and likes kids." 

I'll take it.