First Day of School
Today I hurry off to school,
To work and learn and play.
I'm in a brand new grade this year,
What a happy day!
- Author Unknown
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| My first grade pic |
To some extent, they all run together, but each one certainly has its own story to tell. 12 years ago, I created this blog that I called "Principal Perspective", with the intent of sharing the fleeting thoughts in my brain with the folks God had placed in my life at HCA. My very first post ever was about the first day of school in 2010, but written on the first day of school in 2011, when the building shook from a surprise Hickory earthquake (I suppose all earthquakes are a somewhat of a surprise). Here is the link: http://hcaknights.blogspot.com/2011/08/first-day-of-school.html
As I think back over my life, being a "school guy" for most of it has its advantages and disadvantages. But one of the great perks to being a "school guy" is a fresh start each August, which builds another new experience for that following school year. Whatever didn't go well last year is in the past, and we get a chance to clean it up and move on and whatever did go well, can go again, but be improved upon.
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| The Johnson family starting a new year at HCA |
Each first day of school is a significant milestone in a child's life. I remember buying school supplies, writing my name in all my notebooks, and vowing to be much more neat and organized this year (I continue to go through that same process today!). Unfortunately, within a few weeks, I was back to my old self. But, even with that track record, it was always exciting to get a new start. There were always a few new kids in the class, a different teacher, and a new outlook on life.
It was a joy to see all the kids and parents taking pictures this morning, celebrating (some with tears) the next step in the parent/child relationship. Today, Gayle and I sent our youngest of six children to his final first day of school. Levi is a senior! Our oldest daughter began in the very first Transitional Kindergarten class back in 1999, so we are tying the bow on 24 consecutive years of sending our kids to HCA. What a blessing to our family!
For 24 years, our children have been challenged and have grown academically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially. They are all in good places in their young adulthood now, in large part due to loving, supportive teachers who were rooted in truth and who helped us hold our kids accountable, knowing we needed all the help we could get! I am super excited for each of your children to have a similar blessing this year. We are humbled to serve you this year. Welcome back!
