After a three month break from teachers, students, assignments, homework, studying, and many other activities, school started back up on Aug. 22. As the community returns to school, there have been many new faces among both students and staff, new policies, and new trends, in which a large percentage of the schools’ attendees have been talking about.
As staff enter this school year, they are bound to have different feelings leading up to the first day, whether it be about academic expectations or overall first day jitters.
“This school year, so far, seems much better than last year because before, we used to be in meetings quite often, with little time to plan our lessons, so [this year] I’m not as stressed as I normally am,” Journalism teacher, Amanda Hawkins, said. “The school did a better job at balancing meetings and individual planning time for this year.”
It’s not just the staff members who have nervous feelings before the first day, students also tend to share this sense of unreadiness.
“I typically don’t get very nervous, but the pressure of going into your junior year gets you pretty worked up since it’s the year that students cram in many difficult classes that will boost their GPA,” Junior Coltyn Hargett said. “Students do this in order to have a much easier senior year.”
Feelings that may occur before the first day can easily change both positively and negatively once the big day comes around and the familiarity fades back in.
“This year I was really nervous because of the growth I have in my classes and my program,” Hawkins said. “It was a little different too because there are a lot of new teachers and it almost felt as if it was a new campus this time around.”
Due to the brand-new year, excitements and expectations of the months to come are bound to arise, especially due to the variety of classes offered.
“This year I am really focusing on my Patient Care Technician class which I am both excited and scared about,” Hargett said. “I’m anxious about the certification exam but it is definitely the thing I am most looking forward to this year since it will be the first step in my career.”
Teachers and staff also have these brand-new thoughts regarding the new year.
“I really want both of my programs to grow and I also want to be the UIL journalism top team this year,” Hawkins said. “I also just want for students to feel that my room is a safe space for them and a space for them to be creative which if I can do that, that’s a bigger goal than any academic goal I could achieve.”
Overall, many students and staff had a great first week, and hopefully this attitude remains throughout the year. With various new ideas, opinions, and trends of the year; there is plenty of room for positive growth.
