New beginnings and collaborations

Today was the first day of school.  There was a palpable energy in our building as we waited impatiently for the students to arrive.  I am fortunate to already have some ideas about my students.  I have worked with them before, albeit not as their homeroom teacher.  This is a blessing because I will not have to struggle to put the names to the faces.  I do not yet "know" them, but at least we are familiar with one another.

It is always an amazing mix of excitement, anxiety, hope and fear as I begin to build relationships with a new group of students.  I am excited to begin a new journey of discovery with fresh eyes (taking licence with Proust!). I am anxious to get to know my students in deep ways.  I am hopeful we will become comfortable with each other quickly so as to build the trust necessary for our work to be truly meaningful. And, I am fearful that someone will slip through a crack I cannot see. What if I cannot meet their needs?

Many questions ran through my head as I greeted each child at the door.  What ideas will intrigue this group of kids?  How far will they go with their thoughts?  Who will challenge me to go more deeply myself?  Who will steal my heart?...They all end up marking our hearts, but some just make that mark more deeply.  Will they be able to follow my concrete-random ways? 

Today we started a new collaboration with another class in another part of the province.  While I have no idea where this collaboration will take us, I am excited to try new things and explore different idea with grade 4s whose world might be very different from ours. 

My brother (the other teacher in this endeavor) and I do not teach in the same language.  His class works only in English and mine is French Immersion.  We do not teach in the same ways because our teaching and learning experiences are very different.  I have a feeling this will make for a fabulous collaboration.  Only time will tell.