Back to School!

It is a sunny, quiet Monday. The kiddos are back to school for yet another week. If my calculations are right, they only have about 38 weeks to go until summer break rolls around again. Do you remember those times? The sights and smells of a new school year can hardly be rivaled.

My husband in a first grade school teacher whose heart beats to the rhythm of the school year. About five weeks before his contract begins each year, he starts meandering through the school supply isles at Walmart. He picks up, plays with, and tests all of the cool, new school gadgets. He pushes the buttons, tries the levers and smells the crayons. He needs this time to begin dreaming of his classroom.

Each year Mike, my hubby of a two years, turns his regular first-grade classroom into something amazing. Last year the kids were in outer space all year. This year they are on a cruise ship with Mr. Purcell. Birds fly around the room via battery operated string toys, nets filled with crabs and star fish dangle from the corners, and life preservers display the school rules. His classroom is truly a sight to behold.

Oh, and let's not forget Snoopy. Mike has been a Snoopy fan for years. The border of his room is always Snoopy, and Snoopy guides the way for many other things that happen in that magical place. It makes me want to be in first grade all over again. But the best part of it all? Well, the room looks fantastic and inviting, safe, and fun. But the best part is that much learning will take place on that cruise ship over the next 38 weeks. Addition will be introduced and mastered by many. Students will learn to read for the very first time. Some kids will fall in love with their new-found abilities and show them off for anyone who will listen. One may even be on the early path of becoming author!

And it all begins in the heart of someone who cares. Someone who cares enough to spend many days of his summer break preparing for the cruise that he'll take with his first graders. Someone who loves the children he teaches. Someone who still finds value in the little accomplishments of the wonderful people in his life. My thanks go out to Mike and all the other fabulous teachers who impart more than an education to the children. A dollar figure cannot measure the value of their sacrifice for the children. Have a wonderful 09-10 cruise everyone!