First Time for Everything

As I sit down to write this, it occurs to me that I always thought blogs were dumb. Why would someone just sit down and write about themselves for extended amounts of time? But perhaps it's something about the precipice I find myself sitting on that makes me think it might be kind of interesting. You see tomorrow I start my career. I am no longer the college student who went to 5 different schools over 8 years just to get an BA in History. I am no longer a bachelor as I have been married now for over 3 years. I am no longer without dependents as my wife will be giving birth to our first child in January. So as I get ready for bed tonight it comes with the realization of all these things and that I simply am no longer a child.

Some of you may wonder why it has taken me until I am 26 years old to figure out I'm not a kid anymore. Why didn't I figure it out when I got married or perhaps when I graduated in May? No telling. But the fact remains that for some odd reason I'm taking a look at life and becoming a little overwhelmed at where I am. So why not document it?

Tomorrow I will start my career, as I said before. But this is not just any career. Tomorrow will be my first day as a teacher. I am teaching 7th grade Texas History here in Austin and couldn't be more thrilled with my job.

Remember your first day of school? Probably not. I know I don't. But I can imagine that I felt a little like I do now.
1) Excited: How could you not feel excited about all the newness. You are completely ignorant to what lies ahead and, as they say, what you don't know about tomorrow can't pee in your Wheaties today. Actually no one says that... but it applies.

2) Scared: The bottom line is that on your first day of school you probably didn't know anyone there. This one girl I went to kinder with used to chill with her mom all day from birth until that fateful Day 1 of school. Watching them try to push her into class without her mom was sort of like watching someone give a cat a bath. While I'm sure I'm not going to be forcefully shoved in front of my students tomorrow, I do feel a little like an ostrich in need of a sandbox.

3) Hopeful: While some people may lump hopeful with excited, I didn't think it was appropriate. Excitement for me is sometimes a little blind. Hope however has clear goals in mind. This year I plan to do more than simply make it. I plan to challenge my students and myself to think and grow as the year progresses. I plan to become involved and become a great teacher. I plan to learn from mistakes and never make the same one twice. I plan to make a difference in someone's life. I am, in a word, hopeful. Hopeful that these things will come true and I'll see my plans into fruition. Hopeful that students and parents will live happily ever after with me. Hopeful that I won't be late; that I'll remember to pack a lunch; that I won't fall down in front of the kids; that I won't fall down in front of the other teachers; that I won't fall down in front of parents; that I'll just generally stay on my feet; that I'll be a good husband; that I'll be a good teacher; that I'll be a good dad.... I'm hopeful that I, my students and my kid will be their best. And to all of you reading this chronicle of my life, be your best today and you'll have no regrets tomorrow. Cliche? Maybe, but it's good advice that you and I both should probably take to heart.