Friday, September 11, 2009

Happy New Year!

Every year around this time, I have the same thought. Forget January 1st, September is the real beginning of the new year. This is the time when things gear up and start chugging again after the slow days of summer. Of course, the biggest event of the month, of the year, is the start of school.

People always extend best wishes at the New Year, so here are my hopes for all those involved with the upcoming school year.

To the teachers—
*I wish you have an unusually painless adjustment to getting up once more at an inconceivably early hour.
*And you find a way to teach a unit or subject that really excites you with materials that excite you and still manage to teach to The Test.

To the librarians—
*I hope that you get an unexpectedly huge sum of money to buy books this year.
*And you have many of those magic moments where you put the right book in that reluctant reader’s hand and the kid returns it, proud and excited, and takes out another book immediately. It might be shameless self-interest, but studies show that often the book that delivers that response for reluctant readers is nonfiction.

To the parents—
*I hope you can calm down about school—unless you really shouldn’t.
*And your kid’s yearlong homework assignment is to pack himself or herself a healthy lunch.

To the students—
*I hope you find a few things in class you find mindblowingly interesting. And some grownup notices and encourages you.
*Since I do remember what’s important, I hope that the outfit you picked out for the first day was a total success.

To the nonfiction authors who supply the librarians (teachers, parents, and kids)
*I hope that the librarians get an unexpected and huge sum of money to buy books this year.
*I wish that Barrack and Michelle let it slip that Sasha and Malia’s favorite type of reading is…nonfiction.

1 comment:

CC said...

I feel exactly the same about September vs. January.
As for your wishes, I second them all and say, AMEN!

Carolyn Croll