Now We Soar

The beginning of the school year can be a lot at once, depending on who the question is directed at: excited seniors walking in on their last first day, anxious kindergartners meeting a lot of new people in a matter of hours, focused support staff who have readied the buildings all summer long, passionate teachers who are ready to welcome an entire new class (series of classes) into their classrooms, and adaptable administrators solving challenges left and right. While the answers to the original question are varied, there is one common theme: week two is even better.

Much like a plane taking off from an airport, the first week can be bumpy. The climb in altitude through clouds, retracting the landing gear, and gaining speed are all normal parts of the journey. Similarly, schools face bumps and adjustments during the first week as they climb to cruising altitude.

Consider students as they enter the classroom: learning a new syllabus along with a set of procedures and expectations from their teacher(s). Whether at the pre-k, elementary, middle or high school level this can be a lot to absorb all at once for young minds. For those who were in school a decade or four ago, it can be easy to forget the experience of getting into the rhythm of the school year as a child.

Students are not the only ones adjusting to the new year, support staff and administrators are also problem solving on the fly. From transportation to food service, maintenance to bookkeeping there are some challenges you cannot plan for. As the old advice for strategizing goes, no plan survives unscathed after first contact with putting that plan in motion.

Teachers often find themselves in the middle of the two previous groups helping to bring observations and issues that arise to the attention of support staff and administrators. Figuring out the first few days of student transportation, lunchroom procedures, and even bathroom breaks can be like putting out a thousand small fires. Classroom teachers are communicators, encouragers, and world-class crisis navigators.

All these things considered, the first week is fun, exciting, and reinvigorating as an entire community reorients itself to “the kids being back in school”.

Adryanne Warren, Superintendent of LaRue County Schools reminds us of what’s ahead for the 2025-26 school year, “This first week has been incredible. Our amazing staff smoothed out the initial bumps and you could feel the buzz of our students’ excitement at being back in the classroom with their friends for the year ahead. 2025-26 is set to be one of the best years yet - we are all where we are meant to be and together, we’re going to make this one special.”