Start Again
Welcome to the new school year 2026-2027!
Whether this is your first year in teaching or your 31st year, the hope and vision that we hold in our hearts over the summer is that August (or September for some) is a season, a time, an opportunity to start again.
Whatever happened last year is in the past.
Whatever is going to happen this year is yet to be seen.
What is blatantly obvious and shines brightly (or should) is that we have in front of us a new path, a new opportunity and unlimited possibilities to start this year differently than any other year.
To learn from our past.
To still hope for the future.
To start again…and again…and again…
That is the learning cycle and what I bring to light in my book, Learning Lessons.
Let’s explore that a little more…
In my book, I share my story of teaching.
I also share my story of walking halfway across Spain on the Camino Francés to find my way back to what I thought I had lost.
My health, my hope, my dreams, my opportunity to do things differently or to go back and undo what had been done.
On the Camino, I learned that we always have a path forward and that there are endless opportunities to start again.
Every day was a new start, a new path, a new experience on the Camino.
No matter how much I planned for the unexpected, it still found me.
No matter my best efforts and intentions, things didn’t always go the way I planned/expected or wanted them to go.
No matter how many solutions I was given by others on how to heal my blisters, those solutions didn’t always solve the problem.
Every day presented a new opportunity for me to hit “reset” and start again…
with a new pair of shoes that were more comfortable and didn’t create blisters.
with more food or water in my backpack to sustain my journey.
with more hope in my heart because I had survived and safely reached my destination the day before.
with renewed energy to put one foot in front of the other and take that next brave step forward.
with the support of others who would walk beside me or in front of me or behind me ready and willing to help me continue my journey and successfully make it to the next stop.
ONE…STEP…AT…A…TIME!!!
So, teachers, remember that this is a new school year to start again, but also, that each day, each lesson, each student, each minute/hour/day/grading period is a golden opportunity to
START AGAIN!!!
Photo credit:
“START” by @boetter is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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