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Reflections
PUBLISHED BY REFLECTIONS RESOURCES, LTD. Fall, 2001
A MESSAGE FROM MARY MCGRATH
Fall is in the air. The days are getting shorter. With some summer still left let's get out there for the last kayak trip, hammock snooze or sidewalk sale! Enjoy the play and take care during your transition.....
BACK TO SCHOOL!
For educators this is transition season. Feelings may include excitement about returning to the job. Going back to school involves seeing former students and their families again, meeting a new grouping of students and parents and reconnecting with colleagues to exchange stories of summer adventures.
Coupled with the excitement of this back to school season educators also experience a certain sense of anxiety about all the things that have to be done. Catapulting back into a routine of rising earlier, reentering a structure and forfeiting some personal freedom can be a mixed bag.
Adults, like young people, find clarity and order in resuming a familiar role and regular schedule. They may also feel a sense of sadness in putting aside summer projects and pursuits due to lack of time.
With fall, free hours are exchanged for a hurried deep breath to regroup between classes. As August wanes memories of former Septembers return. Staff members easily recall their experience of attending BACK TO SCHOOL events, establishing expectations, staying late and making long commutes. Once back at work, the lake cabin or trip to Toronto seem like a distant memory. How many times have you heard it said, "It seems like we have never left!"
In time, a comfortable familiarity will be found, a plateau will be reached and a new course will be charted. Within the familiar spaces and places also comes the opportunity to use teaching skill and creativity for the benefit of others and for personal fulfillment.
The change of seasons can be dramatic and challenging transition. A healthy diet, opportunities for exercise and extra sleep make for a better beginning. A calm and organized approach to the tasks ahead supports the possibility that things will fall into place by the first day of school and continue with a positive momentum on each successive day. After weathering the first three or four weeks of the BACK TO SCHOOL season, professional camaraderie and classroom successes await as benefits well worth the demanding transition.
Permission granted to copy and share this newsletter with others. When printing the article section please include attribution and contact information as below.
Reflections Resources, Ltd.
Phone: 952-894-7707 Fax: 952-890-3229
E-Mail: info@maryzmcgrath.com
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