Waking Up

I spent a few hours at my favorite Large Suburban High School today, working in my room and office, visiting the main office, and basically just getting back into the swing of gym, shower-in-flip-flops, go-to-work again.

The last few times I've been there, all has been quiet, but today, the school is waking up. Freshman Band Camp is in full swing, and Student Government is hard at work. The office staff came back in full today, and the counseling staff is back, too. I saw a few teachers.

While campus is mostly quiet, there are strains of marching band instruments from the football field, and cheerleader yells from over by the gym.

Little by little, the campus is coming alive again, waking from its two-month summer nap and getting ready for an explosion of activity in the coming weeks. Fall at a high school is definitely one of my favorite things, as temps drop ever lower, and football starts. There's an energy, a pride.

A year ago, everything was new, and terrifying. This year, I'm coming home, with a plan. My room is coming together, looking like it belongs to me, and I'm getting so excited to welcome my returning students back, and welcome my new students to the fold.

As I walked across the just-stirring campus today, I looked around an imagined it full-to-bursting with students, with noise, with life. I whispered to myself, "It's going to be a good year."

I will make it so.