Education

FIRST-DAY ANXIETY, OR NOT

September 05, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Despite her enthusiasm for her new school, Sam of Clean Up On Aisle Life says that, a couple of days ago, she had what we imagine is a fairly typical teacher-anxiety dream for this time of year:

[I] woke up from a nightmare about the first day of school in which I got into a huge argument with another teacher in front of my students AND lost my hyper-organized First Day Folder.

Later she wonders: “Will I always have this anxiety the night before the first day back?”

To judge from the experiences of Mrs. Ris of Mentor Matters, a veteran special education teacher, the answer is, guess not. Mrs. Ris notes that she did some first-day planning last night, but that mostly she’s been taking it pretty easy:

I made the choice to forget all about school throughout the weekend. And that's exactly what I did. No thoughts of morning arrival routines, early assessment activities, playground rules, and singing new songs. Instead, college football, dinners out, visits with my daughter, … and pony-sized Coronas took center stage.

Hmm, college football and Coronas: Now that’s our kind of preparation.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Blogboard blog.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Hiring, Retention, and Fill Rates: A Data-Driven Sub Strategy
Explore what keeps substitutes coming back and hear how one district rebuilt its substitute hiring process and improved its fill rate.
Content provided by Frontline Education
Early Childhood K-12 Essentials Forum Early Childhood Education: Building Essential Skills for Success
Join this free virtual event to examine the biggest challenges in supporting young children, from preschool through elementary school. 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Absenteeism Webinar
Attendance Isn't an Attendance Problem
Boost attendance by strengthening relationships, belonging, and support with practical strategies from Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey.
Content provided by Corwin

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The Education Wisdom Our Readers Keep Revisiting: Top 10
These opinion blog posts and essays have made a lasting impression on readers.
1 min read
Trendy halftone collage cutout elements. Laptop, rising arrow chart, gears, handshake, watch, magnifier. Idea, teamwork, brainstorming and success concept Modern retro vector illustration
Cristina Gaidau/iStock
Education Opinion The Opinions EdWeek Readers Care About: The Year’s 10 Most-Read
The opinion content readers visited most in 2025.
2 min read
Collage of the illustrations form the top 4 most read opinion essays of 2025.
Education Week + Getty Images
Education Quiz Did You Follow This Week’s Education News? Take This Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read