The day before the first day of school, 2011:
A group of nearly 20 freshmen wandering around campus in a pack, searching earnestly for a new student whom they have been expecting since the 6th grade (and is finally joining their class this year). Talk about a warm welcome!
Sophomore guys, all a lot taller than they were in June, catching up near the picnic tables.
A group of 8 freshmen standing outside my room and asking me very good questions about the coming school year.
A bunch of seniors (who I first met as freshmen) diligently running the afternoon's mixer activities and making sure their fellow students are served and fed at the evening's barbecue.
Me sitting next to two of those seniors over dinner... the conversation resembles (in my imagination, anyway) a reunion between soldiers and their commanding officer. The commanding officer is impressed by the leadership skills that his soldiers have developed.
A large class of juniors checking out their books and setting up their lockers in a relatively short amount of time, with only a few hitches.
Me standing in front of the Junior class of 2013 (who I taught as freshmen in my first full year of teaching) and talking to them as a group for the first time in over a year. We grow wiser as we grow older and God gives second chances. This moment nearly brought a tear to my eye.
Me working late at school to be as ready as I can for tomorrow. Feeling quite nostalgic as I print-out my opening day activity (the same one I used last year) and am struck by how quickly time flies. Determined to enjoy the nows of this year, as I know just how quickly they become thens.
I'm ready for tomorrow... so ready. 10 years from now, I will look back on this moment and say "that felt like the blink of an eye"... I am a young teacher who is gaining experience, who no longer quakes in his boots in front of a classroom. This is a time to be treasured, a gift from God. Life is beautiful, isn't it?
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