Stress

The start of another school year has arrived. As teachers, we never feel quite fully prepared for those bright-eyes kiddos to walk through the door. Whether it's our first year or our twentieth, there are always things left undone on the list. This year's start has seemed especially hectic, yet I know it's like that every year.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed as I see emails going back and forth with stress pouring out of every word, or see colleagues in the hall with panicked looks, or as I look at my pile of things to do without knowing where to start. But then I need to take a deep breath and remind myself of what's really important.

Will these kiddos know if I don't have a checklist finished yet? Will they know that my plan book is not fully filled out, or that my desk isn't organized just so? Probably not. Will they remember what we did on the first day of class...or the second or the fiftieth? Not specifically. But will they remember coming into an inviting library, where they felt safe and cared for? I hope so. Will one of those kiddos remember our library as the place they fell in love with reading? That would be wonderful.

Life is full of stress, and a lack of adequate time. We can't control the outside stressors and we can't create more time. What we can do is control how we react to the stress, and what we choose to focus on. Do I get stressed on crazy days at work? Absolutely. But then I (try to) take a breath, think about what really matters, make a plan, and move on. Let's focus on what matters...and try not to let the everyday stress get in the way. It's not easy...it takes work of its own, but I think it might just be worth it!