I find that we’ve been saying every variation of the word “excite” in the last few weeks, about a lot of different things: the incredible opportunities that have fallen into place over the summer; two weeks of professional development with both our returning faculty and the new additions to our team; and last week’s family picnic as the culminating event of summer — those have all been very exciting.
While we have been using the word a lot lately, today I truly felt the excitement. I saw it on the faces of our teachers, who are truly thrilled to be starting another year (perhaps as much as the children!). I saw it in the smiles and first glances at a friend or teacher who was missed over the summer. I heard it in the giggles and laughter and the sounds of so many little voices together during a few Grayson chants at our first day assembly. Excitement was in the air.
Coming to school should be exciting. Students should be eager to discover things, to explore their passions, to get dirty trying to figure out how to accomplish something — and to thus be responsible for what they learn. This is how we encourage them to solve problems, persevere, communicate, and collaborate. They can build, tear down, and create again on a path towards self-directed learning.
We know that Grayson students want to explore and learn. Nurturing that desire to learn is our essential job as educators.
Welcome to Year 3 at Grayson — where excitement is in the air!
Melissa Bilash
Founder & Executive Director