A friend of mine recently mentioned that on a beautiful August day she heard her teenaged son stirring in the house around 5:30 am. Mentioning that their family doesn't normally get up until 8:30 or so in the summer, she was curious. No one else was up. She asked what he was doing up so early. He replied, "I couldn't sleep."
She went back to bed. At 7:00, her husband got up and started getting ready. "What are you two doing today?" She asked.
"Today is registration for his first day of high school. He wants to be there right at 8:00 so he can get his schedule. He can go anytime between 8 and 11, but he wants to be there early. He hasn't slept all night because he can't wait to start high school."
Let's not forget this sleepless breathless excitement to start a brand new year. Let's not forget the excitement (mixed with some anxiety) to start on the next leg of a journey into the future. Let's not forget the importance of each day we have together with our students. I hope our students feel this level of excitement and anticipation all year.