It’s the first day back after a long summer break. The alarm clock feels extra cruel, the coffee tastes both too weak and too strong, and the steering wheel suddenly feels foreign in your hands. As teachers, we trade in beach chairs for desk chairs, sunscreen for dry erase markers, and road trip playlists for bell schedules. And while students are at home nervously wondering “Who will I sit with at lunch?”, teachers are on their commute running through a very different mental checklist.
Here’s a glimpse inside the back-to-school teacher-brain while driving in (have fun reading . . . this may be the only fun read you will have for the next 10 months!)
- “Wait . . . what's my password again?”
All summer long you’ve been soaking in freedom. Now, halfway through the drive, a panicky thought hits: “Do I even remember my password? Or where my classroom keys are? Or how to turn on the smartboard?” Muscle memory will kick in, but for now it’s pure improv comedy.
- “This is the year I will stay organized.”
Every teacher has this first-day pep talk: color-coded bins, neatly labeled folders. You tell yourself: “No more random piles of papers in my tote bag!” The reality by October? That tote bag will double as a black hole where student essays go to disappear.
- “What if the kids are taller than me now?”
Summer break has a way of turning seventh graders into full-grown adults overnight. On the drive in, teachers brace themselves for the shock: “Wasn’t this kid shorter than the desk in June? And why does his voice sound like a baritone now?”
- “Don’t forget to smile.”
The first day sets the tone. The drive in becomes a rehearsal: big smile, warm welcome, confident stance. Meanwhile, the teacher-brain is silently screaming: “Please let the projector work. Please let my roster be correct. Please let no one ask about bathroom passes yet.”
- “What did I even wear last year?”
The drive is also a mini fashion show in your head: “Does this outfit say professional yet approachable? Do these shoes say authority, or ‘I’ll regret this by lunch duty’?” Teachers are secretly hoping no one notices the cardigan rotation that will last until June. But a quick glance and the thought appeared, "Ate! Left no crumbs."
- “This could be a really great year.”
Somewhere between red lights and school zone signs, hope kicks in. The possibilities are endless: new students, new lessons, a fresh chance to connect. Summer energy hasn’t worn off yet, so the commute feels like driving toward opportunity, not just obligation.
That first drive back is a mix of nerves, excitement, and a little bit of denial. It’s where teachers bargain with themselves, set grand resolutions, and brace for whatever the year throws their way. Oh yeah . . . and eagerly awaits that meeting . . . that very first meeting. Somewhere in the back of the brain, the cells try to come alive while the Principal speaks. Yet, all that harbors the mind is getting started with the stuff that matters - decorating the door, decorating the room, making copies of syllabus, and throwing out the trash, I mean the leftover papers from last school year! Because the truth is, teaching doesn’t just start when students walk through the door, or during that amazing first meeting, it starts in the car, with a hopeful teacher whispering, “This is going to be the year.” On God! Period.
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