The day – Teachers’ circle: First day of school

Is there a day like the first day of school?

This month and the last have seen various first days of school for students. Is there anything more precious than these wonderful photos of the beautiful kids, all of them, waiting for their first bus ride or heading to school as a big 12th grader. It’s so emotional, for all of us who have been to school before, which is pretty much everyone. We remember: we were there; and there is something about the innocent expression on the faces of the students: the hope, the excitement, the energy of this day are unique and cherished by our culture, celebrated and shared, because of what it is. is – a deep expression of our optimism, our idealism and our deep love for our children.

But there is also a bittersweet flavor to the day too, perhaps because it arrives as always at the end of summer, which, even when extremely hot, still tastes of freedom and freedom. ease.

And then there are the memories of our own experiences as children in school, and some of those memories are colored with pain, confusion and struggle. We know what awaits our children at school because we went there ourselves. And have schools really changed much from what we knew when we were kids? Probably not, if you stop to think about it. A few surface changes, of course, but just look out the window: the buses are still yellow.

I love seeing the photos parents post of their kids on the first day of school. I love them fiercely, because I cherish this little person who gets on that bus, I don’t care how old they are. I know what they deserve and I know schools are doomed to fail.

And it is no one’s fault. That’s just what schools are. This is what they do. They are doing their best, I think.

But do they do it? For so long I believed everyone was doing their best. Teachers, parents, administrators – everyone involved in education is doing their best. In fact, one of my favorite sayings is “everyone does their best, or the best they can under the circumstances” (which seems to cover just about every situation imaginable).

But lately I’ve started to question this idea. I mean, yes and no. It’s yes, we’re doing our best, at least I guess, but no, we’re not doing well enough. We can do better. In fact, this is no longer an option. We must.

Schools offer a wide variety of subjects taught by the most well-meaning people on the planet (I’m talking about my own bias here, obviously). But we are missing the biggest piece: mental well-being; the psychological development of every human being in this building, including the staff.

And in the absence of addressing this fundamental subject, we inadvertently do wrong.

We need to vaccinate – yes, I’m talking about a vaccine, but not like the one you think. I’m talking about sharing with our kids with an understanding of how to manage their minds. To teach them the nature of thought, the source of emotion, and the ability they all have to live free lives instead of being unnecessarily burdened. Imagine going to school and learning who you are and what you are really capable of. It is a powerful education. It’s a first day of school that deserves to be excited.

So let’s talk about what it looks like. What it really means to be a healthy adult, and how to model it for our younger citizens. How to communicate in a non-violent way, how to take responsibility for all that has been given to us and how to move forward in uncertainty and change.

What does it mean to teach children how to be a good and happy human being?

Gay Collins is a retired Waterford Public Schools teacher with an MA from Connecticut College who lives in Preston. She can be reached at [email protected].