The words “attitude adjustment” perfectly describe what I’ve been going through in these first few days of school.

Day 1: I was not quite the happy camper. Why? There was absolutely no reason except that I just had a bad attitude. I had this dread of standing up in front of people all day, and by 3rd hour I was thinking I needed a new profession because this one was just too stressful.

This attitude had nothing to do with my students. It was the first day; there were no problems. I was just having a problem getting into the swing of things and being a real person again.

Luckily I’m a fabulous actress, so my attitude did NOT overflow into my treatment of my new students. I was charming as always. I was just secretly angry.

Days 2 and 3: Slowly, slowly, I am getting into the swing of things. I am enjoying myself more in class and not dreading being in front of people.

It all boils down to this: I love people. My love for people is why I’m a teacher, and now that I’m surrounding with 100’s of people who, for 45 minutes, depend on me, I am rising to the occasion. More than any piddly laziness on my part, I want to give my students the best possible learning experience that I can. Yes, this means hard work for me. But if I can benefit their lives in some way, it’s worth it.

It doesn’t hurt to have former students shouting hello and asking me about my wedding and clearly being happy to see me. Again, I feel so much more like a part of a community. Being surrounded by people, whether they love me, hate me, or don’t know me, reminds me that this is exactly where I am meant to be. My attitude has been adjusted.