Has Back-to-School snuck up on you? It has to me. One minute it’s summer, the next it’s time to welcome students back, send kids off to school, or get started on studying.

I have always basically either been a student or teacher (and sometimes both at the same time). Because of that, I’ve come to enjoy the natural rhythm of a school year. The excitement of August, the doldrums of mid-winter, and the is-it-over-yet of May. Then comes summer break; a breath of fresh air that serves to rejuvenate students and teachers alike.

Are you excited for the school year to begin? As a student, I remember that excited, jittery feeling I would get, even through grad school. It’s the same old feelings: wondering whether my classmates would like me or how difficult the teacher would be. As a teacher, ironically, I get those same feelings: how will my students interact with me, how will classroom dynamics be.

This year, I won’t be classroom teaching, rather, I’ll be working with my students entirely online. Technology has allowed me a chance to interact with English-speaking students located all around the world. As a writing coach, this works well since my students and I interact through their papers or via email. My favorite part of this, is the ability to look back at a first paper and a final paper and see the difference, see how my student has grown.

As a new school year begins, teachers set their sights at the goals they aim to accomplish, students glance longingly back at relaxing summer days even as they can’t wait to see their friends, and life returns to a usual, ordered rhythm. Wishing you all the best this school year!