The Unknown...

That is always my thought at the beginning of the school year...what does this year hold for me?? I always seem to have this sense of dread, not knowing what I'm going to be dealing with. I never sleep well the night before the first day of school. Actually, I usually start dreaming school dreams several weeks before the kids arrive (and they always involve me feeling super stressed!). And then...the first day. The kids show up, they are so little and cute, and it doesn't seem so bad after all. Kids have a way of making me feel more optimistic...and making me laugh! I guess that's why I ended up being a teacher. :)

There are some things that I do know about this school year:
1. The Lord is good and is in control. It is comforting to know that he is good and perfect, and that he has been preparing me for this year already. He did say "Do not worry...", right? :)

2. For me, it is only going to last about 6 months. Baby Kirksey will be here around February 27, so I'm going to be missing the last part of the year. This is a wonderful thing! I am so looking forward to being a stay-at-home mommy, plus, the timing works out so that I'm missing all of the TAKS testing! :) Anyone who has administered a TAKS test knows that those are great days to miss!

3. I'm probably not going to feel like myself. Not having been pregnant before, I don't exactly know what to expect, but I know my body is going to be changing...a lot. I'm looking forward to those changes (I think that's the science teacher in me!), especially since this is something that I've wanted for quite some time. I have decided that I'm going to enjoy this next 6 months and complain as little as possible! However, (and this is the whole unknown thing again) I don't know how it's going to affect my students. I still want to keep up my creativity and energy, and hopefully I'll be able to do that!

4. I have great teachers to work with. My fellow 6th grade science teacher is a great friend whom I have worked with for the past 4 years. She is so helpful, funny, and loves the kids! I love ya, Lesley!! Also, my team members are just awesome. Two of them were on my team last year, and I am so glad to be back with them this year. And, there are 3 teachers on my team who are new to the school, and they all seem wonderful so far. Plus, there is my sweet friend, Shevawn (who was on my team last year, but has moved on to new challenges at our school), and she is a great source of laughs and support!

5. I am not going to have any bad kids this year. OK, so I don't actually know this, but this is what I have decided in my head. There's enough to be negative about going in to a school year, so I have made the decision to think positively about my kids. I often forget during the year to praise them for doing good, and only focus on what they're doing wrong. They all do good things (some more than others!!), so I'm planning on spending more of my energy looking for those good moments. Maybe opening my eyes to those things will make all of the other stuff...the unknown...not so bad after all.