They ask, "Are you ready?"
You're eleven years old. You've spent hours picking out your outfit. Your shoes and pants are just coordinated enough to say 'I've got style' but not so matchy that it says 'My mom picked this out'. The carpool line is moving WAY faster than it looked when you got here. The middle school suddenly looks a lot bigger than the elementary school you remember. You've got your granola bar and your class schedule.You made sure to hide the note Mom stuck in your lunch box before you left.
She turns to her left and asks, "Are you ready?"
You're 18 years old. Every conceivable item you could ever need is packed into your beat-up car. Your dad has checked the oil three times this morning. Your mom has already cried twice. You've got your roommate's number, solid directions, and what you hope is enough cash to make it until Thanksgiving.
As he shuts the hood, your Dad turns and asks, "Are you ready?"
Today is the day. You've spent every moment of the last 10 months agonizing over seating arrangements, flowers, programs and favors. You haven't truly slept in three days. You've spent the last 4 hours getting dressed and everyone your know is here to celebrate with you. You know that today marks the first day of the rest of your life.
Right before the doors open, your best friend turns and asks, "Are you ready?"
It seems like we get the question "Are you ready?" at some of life's most important moments. It's a question we ask because we know that what follows will be intense, difficult, or even life-altering. Even though it's a phrase we use often, seldom do we realize the weight it can carry.
Ready has two definitions. One is obvious. The word ready means "fully prepared". This is probably what most people mean when they ask the question, "Are you ready?" No one wants to go into a situation that is intense or difficult thinking that they aren't equipped to handle what comes their way. We spend months agonizing over that one moment to make sure that we have everything we need.
This is what most people have meant when they've recently asked me if I am ready for my new school year to begin. As some of you know I've changed jobs this summer and will be starting at a new school in a new district. I began going to my classroom in June to clean house, arrange furniture, move in my things, rearrange furniture, make copies, and to really make the room 'mine'.
What most of these people meant when they asked if I was ready was really if I was prepared. Moving schools, if you've never done it, is a tedious task at best and a pain in the butt at worst. You pack all of your teacher belongings (which is usually a ton), box them up, and move them to a new place. You then have to organize them in a way that feels functional, become acclimated to a new work space, learn new curriculum, prepare new lesson plans, and almost start from scratch. People want to know if my room is decorated, if my bulletin boards are Pinterest worthy, if my copies are made, and if my posters are hung. That is really what they want to hear about when they ask me, "Are you ready?".
However, the word 'ready' also has a second meaning. The word ready can also mean "within reach". I spoke earlier this summer about how much I connected with my students and how that feeling of being needed meant a lot to me. The school that I'm working at now is at the opposite end of the spectrum from my old job. The demographics are about as opposite as they can be. These students will be unlike any that I have ever taught before.
I used to think that all my preparation in the summer was for my benefit. I went in early and stayed late all to ease my own need to feel prepared. But really, all this work is to make my student's experience a better one. The more prepared I feel about how my classroom looks and how far I am planned out means more time focusing on my students and who they are. I prepare in order to make myself fully available to my kids from day one so that we can start building meaningful relationships. I know that I can never really be fully prepared to meet my student's needs. I haven't even met them. But I know that I am making myself available to my students from day one. Culture is the MOST important thing on the first day of school, and I know that I have worked for weeks on end to create a culture on the first day that will make my classroom a place of learning and trust. Shoot. We may even have fun.
So, when people ask you "Are you ready?" for the new school year to start, don't just reflect on your worksheets and your walls. Instead ask yourself, "Am I within my students' reach? Am I fully available to them?" If not, spend your time getting rid of your distractions so that you can be ready to greet your students and set a culture that will define your school year.
Good luck friends. You will do great things this year.
