As a teacher, it’s hard for me to get excited about New Year’s. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. My life is characterized by school years, not calendar years. Life events and other memorable moments unfold within the frame of my school calendar, not the one hanging on my wall. The ten months between September and June form the timeline of my life. I recall many pivotal life events by when they happened during the school year. I also schedule appointments that parallel the ebbs and flows of the school year. And let me not forget about summer! These two special months signify the end of my year. It’s a time of reflection and relaxation after a year’s worth of work. It’s my off-season.
Thus, for me, New Year’s arrives in September, when my students arrive. That is when I look back on who I was and set goals for the year ahead. That is when I am filled with a sense of renewal. Celebrating New Year’s now feels obligatory and anticlimactic.
While this time of year feels secondary, it does serve a valuable purpose for me: the end of the calendar year divides the school year almost in half. If anything, New Year’s Day marks the middle of my school year. It invites me to conduct a mid-year check-in on my teaching.
That said, I’m entering 2026 with far more hope than I did in 2025. I’ve grown from many of my shortcomings last school year. Something is opening up inside my teaching. The sun is rising again.
bp
lazy 0ch0 