The end of August means the first day of school around these parts. We walked an enthusiastic second-grader down the hill to her school.  She was a bit anxious on the first day of school with a new teacher, but quickly settled in once she saw a few smiling friends.

Her best buddy G is in her class, so the teacher will have a time keeping those two from getting into too much trouble.  Clare loves seeing her friend each day.

So far we really like her teacher.  He has a blog and updates Facebook, so I love knowing what’s going on in the classroom.  Here is a quotes from it, reminding me why elementary school teachers are special people:

“Now that its here, the first day of school is actually here, my heart’s beating a little bit harder, my palms a little bit sweatier.  It’s a mixture of nerves and excitement.  I want this year to go so well.  I want this group of kids to feel challenged, pushed to places they didn’t they were capable of going.  I want to push myself.  I want to bravely lead this new group and give them experiences that they won’t soon forget.  I want them to love school.”

The school year means a little extra push to our usual crazy schedules. There are endless lunches to pack, PTA meetings and Back to School Nights to attend, sniffly noses and colds to pass around, and permission slips to sign and return to school.  There is stress at school and work that makes us tired and cranky in the evenings, but there are also new friends to make, new books to read and new things to learn and discover.