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Dear English III,

That first week back is always tough. Screeching alarm clocks we'd rather punt. Hair that just won't cooperate. Outfits that looked better in our minds than in reality. Mazes of hallways with no numbers. Strange teachers and peers, books and papers, classes and seats.

 But we made it!

 As I reflect this morning at the conclusion of our first week together, I smile. Yeah, it was a frazzled and hectic week. Yeah, we were anxious and exhausted. Yet it was fun! Seeing your smiling faces always makes it fun. Learning your quirks and smirks and passions is forever one of my favorite things. YOU are why I do this job... and why I love it. 

 In our early time together, I have giggled and winked and joked, all in the effort not just to get you to relax but to convince you to read. To show you what wonderful benefits reading can bring. To remind you of the joy of reading you may have lost somewhere back in your elementary days. To rekindle that desire for story. It's a challenging job, I know. But I am up for the task! And now I'm hoping it worked.

 Next week, we will begin our reading journeys for the semester. We will dive into stories of all walks and see what we can discover. We'll lose ourselves in the lives of others as our brains are collecting new words and sentence structures and knowledge. We will talk. Trust me. Go ahead. It'll be great!

 For goals, I have so very many for you. But those are really for you to decide. For me, I must talk a book to you daily! I MUST. I must also work to be more efficient and effective in conferencing. The more of you I talk to, the more I can assist and teach you, the more your skills will grow. These are my goals. I know them. I know I must reach them. And now that've I've published it, I guess I'm stuck with 'em!

 So I thank you for an incredible start to year nineteen! I'm certain by now that you can tell most of my oddities - I'm garrulous, silly, sarcastic, caffeinated. I'm scattered and spontaneous. If you don't put it on a post-it for me, I won't remember it! I also truly enjoy what I do. I hope you can tell that too. It's gonna be a great year. I can feel it. Thanks for hopping on board! Get ready for a wild ride!!

 Your nerdy English teacher,

Mrs. Friend 

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