First Day of School

Here in lovely Charleston, South Carolina it is the first day of school for most students.  I spent part of this morning enjoying all the "first day" photos of my friends' children on Facebook.  Many of the younguns in the photos were holding signs saying things like, "First Day of First Grade!" or "First Day of Second Grade!"  They were all just adorable, and I find it amazing that those babies are growing up so fast.

My own granddaughters are both high school students this year.  The older is a Senior.  So hard to believe they are almost adults.

Time is such a tricky thing.

After seeing the photos I turned my attention to my teacher friends' posts.  Some said things like, "I'm so happy to be retired!" but most said things like, "I'm ready for the new year!" with excitement and happiness and hope. 

Teachers are like that.

With each new year they start anew.  Full of possibilities and plans.  Each bright new face reminds them why they decided to enter the teaching profession.  They are overworked and underpaid and certainly underappreciated, but they are driven to make a difference.  I've come to believe it is in their genes.  They have to help to be fulfilled in life.

If humans had breeds like dogs, teachers would be herders. 

Think about it a minute.  You can say these same things about both teachers and herding breed dogs.  They both:

• have to go to school/training for a long time in order to do their jobs effectively
• enjoy orderliness 
• demand respect from their herd/students (at least while in their presence)
• keep a watchful eye on everything
• immediately jump into action when one of their responsibilities strays from the herd (classroom)
• break up fights
• teach others how to behave
• move large numbers of beings from one place to another in an orderly fashion (lunchroom, recess, special subject areas, buses, etc./barn, field, pasture, truck, etc.
• remove troublemakers from the herd/classroom as needed
• understand that love and discipline go hand in hand
• make a difference to all who know them
• are well loved or well hated depending on the circumstances
• often inspire and delight all who know them
• have changed my life for the better

What would you add to this list?  

Hopefully everyone has a great year this year!  I'm hoping for many changes for the best!

For those of you who have time to explore, click HERE to see pictures of the training classes my herding dogs have completed. 

Have a great day!! 

This was my high school.  Torn down in the 1970s.
I marvel that I lived through all those school years with no air conditioning!