September Stories

Each September I find myself wanting to pick right up where we left off in June. The end of the school year is one of my favorite times. It is a time of synthesis and reflection. It’s a time of celebration of growth and learning. It’s a time where all those pieces we’ve been holding onto all year come together in a way we could have never imagined in the beginning.

Even though half of the children I worked with last year will be returning to the same classroom, each September I still need reminders of the many reasons we can’t start a year in June. We need September. We need time to develop routines, build our stamina, get to know one another, discover interests and passions, listen to one another’s stories, reconnect and make new connections. We need what September offers us. We need to be given that time and space to slow down, to seek patterns, and to begin to collect the pieces that will carry us through our year together.

It’s September again, and the messages I’ll be telling myself will be to slow down, listen carefully, ask questions, and be surprised. If I move too fast, I might miss moments like this:

OR: Do you want to help us? You can do whatever you want.

CD: I want to get my hands dirty with mud.

KV: I’ll show you where the mud is!

KN: We have a lot of helpers. We have about 7 people.

LC: Now you have me.

KN: We have to make room for 8 people now!

SE: We don’t want anyone in, in case any branches fall in.

AS: Our fort is finally looking good.

EW: Does anyone need this? Do you need this? We’re just giving it to anyone who needs it.

AS: We need more wood. Thanks!

 What September Stories are you paying attention to?