Right now everything is quiet in my classroom. There are seats that have never been sat in. The computers have never surfed the Internet, written a blog post, or created an Office document. The bulletin board is up but still needs work. Syllabi are on a table ready to be handed out to curious students.

Soon those students will be crowding the halls with anticipation for most and fear for a few as they try to find their way. They will shed blood from accidents, nosebleeds, and even a fight or two. They will shed sweat from their work in a PE class, work on assignments, or just the Lowcountry heat. They will shed tears too by not getting a grade they wanted, a friend does some major transgression, scared of leaving an old school behind.

The students will enter my classroom and take their seats. I will be ready to teach and hope they will be ready to learn. Some students will have all the love and support from caring parents who will give everything needed. Some will enter whose parents will give neither that love and support nor what is needed to succeed. There will be students who will fall somewhere between the two extremes. Still, I must be ready to teach.

Here's to a successful 2010-2011 school year!