I am writing this on the evening of the first day of the 2010-2011 school year. It has officially started!

School employees have spent many days beforehand getting prepared for it and today the students arrived in cars and by the busload. Ready or not, here they came. Hundreds of them!

It was an exhilarating day, tiring but satisfying, in my opinion. Maybe this is easy for me to say since my position is somewhat different than that of a regular classroom teacher and does not require me to be responsible for large groups of students on the first day. However, the in-between-class time I spent in the hallways and during my lunch-time duty gave me a feel for the excitement and positive energy flowing through the air. The looks on students’ faces expressed that most were glad to be back to school, or at least glad to be back to see each other again. Except for a few freshmen that appeared a tad bit nervous, it seems that nearly all, students and teachers alike, were smiling.

Like a whirlwind, as soon as it started, it was over. At the end of the day the final bell rang and the building that had just been packed with activity and energy was once again quiet. Big sigh! There was just a moment to relax before beginning to regroup, rethink, and prepare some more — to monitor and adjust. It is time to do all the things that teachers do to get ready again, because in just a few short hours all those faces will return. One down, 177 more student days to go!

At the beginning, it may seem like a long time until the school year ends next spring, but it will fly by like time spent reading a good book you can’t put down. With teachers, administrators, custodians, secretaries and other staff preparing ahead of time to make sure everything is ready and waiting for the students to show, the setting has been established and the mood set.

Just as planned, the main characters, the students, show up on page one. The 178 busy, interesting, fun, full of effort and sometimes frustrating days that follow will build the pages that will turn one after the other until finally the conclusion is here before we know it. Although some of the chapters will contain surprises and unexpected events, we have high hopes for a productive year and ultimately, a story with a happy ending.

This is much more than just another school year for those of us who work here, and we are very aware that the same is true for the students. The reality is that 178 days represents a good sized chunk of a young person’s formative years. This is our chance to make a positive difference that could follow for a lifetime. So, we come back tomorrow and write page two. What a responsibility! What an opportunity!

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer and a speechlanguage pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by e-mail at awalkinthepark50 @ yahoo.com.