JOURNAL: September 6, 2006

Yesterday, the first day of school, a countless number of things could have happened, but only a few did. As a case in point, I could have overslept and dashed to school at the last minute, but instead I awoke extra early and spent several fruitful hours preparing myself mentally and physically for the day ahead. I did some enlightening spiritual reading, wrote a few thoughtful paragraphs, and then had an efficient workout at the gym, all before 6:00 a.m.! My breakfast – delicious coffee and two of the best pieces of toast I have ever eaten – was enjoyed slowly and appreciatively, and then I was off to school to meet my students. Another example: I could have been disorganized in my teaching (as I sometimes have been), but instead I felt like I was a well-built, thoroughly oiled teaching machine. Each of my classes happened pretty much the way I had hope they would – the kids smiling and sitting up straight, me talking quietly and purposefully, and the time passing in as pleasant a way as it could in a middle school classroom. Dare I say that the classes seemed almost perfect to me? Finally, I could have felt tired and somewhat bewildered after a long first day of school, but instead I felt utterly inspired. I think, if I’d needed to, I could have taught several more classes of teenagers in the late afternoon. I recall feeling first-rate ideas about teaching pouring into my mind around 5:00 pm, as I prepared to go home for the evening.