Back to School: Teachers Excited to Begin the New Year

The first day of school isn't just nerve-wracking for students and parents; teachers also get those mixed feelings of excitement and nerves as the first day of school opens.

Over at Lincoln Elementary School, Cathi Flaherty tries to ease herself and her new students into the school year by reading a children's book to break the ice. The book, First Day Jitters, follows around Sarah Jane Hartwell.

It's the first day of school and she doesn't want to get out of bed because of nerves. She hides under the blanket and Mr. Hartwell has to try and get her out of bed. When she arrives at school, the principal is outside to meet her, and by the end of the book, the reader finds out that Sarah Jane is actually a teacher at the school.

"It's a great introduction for the students," Flaherty said. "It shows them that we're all excited and nervous to start the year. The kids know they're not the only ones excited about this time of the year. It's an exciting time."

But just because the school year ended in June, it doesn't mean September was the first month teachers around Winchester returned to school. For the majority of them, after the routine cleanup of their rooms from the custodial staff, they are back in setting up for the new school year.

"Once August 1 rolls around my brain goes back to school mode," Flaherty said. "I'm in and out the entire month, by that time, my summer's over."

"It takes a little while to get your room set up," said Eileen Scwartz who's been teaching at Lincoln for the past five years. "It's like moving into an apartment."

It's all about being as organized as possible for that first day of school.

"The main thing is to be prepares as possible for that first day," said Muraco fifth-grade teacher, Jenn Licciardo. "Because all of a sudden you have 19 new people in your room, and you want to get a sense of who they are and learn their names. You don't want to be planning of photocopying, you want to give time to learn about the kids."

But the real excitement came on Wednesday when the teacher's got to meet their new students for the first time.

"I'm eager to meet the children," said Schwartz who teaches kindergarten. "You don't know who they are, it's exciting. It's a whole new scene for them, entering kindergarten."

"One of the things the kids don't know is that teachers are just as nervous as they are," said Muraco's fifth-grade teacher, Stephanie Andella. "We don't sleep the night before either. That first day you're meeting a class of strangers, and as the year progresses, it becomes one large family."