The first day, four perspectives

Before the first lesson is taught, before attendance is taken and before lunch trays begin to slide across cafeteria counters, there is a moment every August that belongs to everyone.

It's the moment just before something new begins.

Dancing into the day

At Wingate Elementary, Addison Herring arrived with a purple backpack, lunch packed by her mom and a shirt that seemed to be made for the occasion:

“Watch out, Kindergarten, here I come.”

Addison had already attended pre-K at Wingate, so the building itself wasn't new. Still, kindergarten meant a new classroom, a new teacher, new friends and a whole new year ahead.

That morning, she brushed her teeth, washed her face, got dressed and headed to school.

Once she got there, she was dancing during a get-to-know activity.

She hadn't expected that.

But she liked it.

She was excited to see friends and hoped to make some new ones, too. She was also hoping to see her older sister somewhere in the school.

There was one thing she wasn't quite as sure about.

“Doing hard homework,” Addison said when asked what made her nervous.

Math was on her mind, too. When asked what she wanted to learn this year, she quickly offered a problem she wanted to be able to solve: 10 plus 9.

There were, however, more immediate priorities.

When asked what she was looking forward to that day, Addison had a quick answer.

“Having my lunch.”

Her mom had packed a donut.

Addison also had a favorite book on her mind: “Goldilocks.” Her favorite part is when Goldilocks tries the bears' food.

When asked to describe her first day in one word, she didn't hesitate.

“Excited.”

Finding his footing

A few miles away, William Clark was stepping into a world that felt much bigger.

The Porter Ridge High School freshman had spent the previous spring touring the school, so he had some idea of what was waiting for him. Even so, walking through the building as a high school student gave him a different perspective.

“When I first looked at it, I thought it was one story, but it turns out that there are two floors,” Will said.

There were also a lot more people.

Will didn't mind that part.

He's social, and he quickly began meeting people and making friends. He figured out his classes faster than he expected and didn't need to keep checking his schedule.

The hallways took a little more getting used to.

Older students seemed to know exactly where they were going, moving through the building with the confidence that comes from having done it before. Will was still learning the routes, finding his way, one hallway at a time.

Even the lunchroom had its own rhythm.

“Everyone kind of fits in their own spot,” he said.

What excited him most was everything beyond the basic routine: new classes, clubs, sports and the chance to explore what interested him.

Baseball was already at the top of the list.

Will has played since he was four and was preparing to attend a baseball interest meeting. He was also looking forward to Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), a class that connects to his future goals.

He hopes to become a pilot in the Air Force.

The class is held at Piedmont High School, giving him a chance to spend part of his day on another campus.

“I think it's a really good break for my day,” he said.

For Will, high school was already becoming more than a larger building. It was a place where he could start figuring out what he wanted to do and who he wanted to be.

A new seat at the front

Elizabeth Gobble knew something about new routines, too.

She arrived at Wesley Chapel Elementary for her first day as principal.

After eight years as an assistant principal at Weddington Middle School, Gobble was stepping into her first principalship and her first leadership role at an elementary school.

The night before the first day, one thought kept coming back to her.

“Don't mess it up.”

Then the students arrived.

Gobble didn't know most of their names yet, so she started there.

“Tell me your name. What grade are you in? What did you do this summer?”

She wanted students to know that, even though she was the principal, she was someone they could talk to. She got down on their level. She listened. She talked with them.

And the students had a few things to say to her, too.

One little girl looked up at her and said, “You're so beautiful.”

Gobble laughed as she remembered it.

The school counselor checked in. A kindergarten teacher stopped by her office to ask how she was doing. A fifth-grade teacher helped her navigate schedules and student needs.

“It's a team environment here,” Gobble said. “It's great.”

There was still plenty to learn, but Gobble had prepared for the transition, completing ESSER professional development over the summer and leaning on her new colleagues along the way.

“I might not know everything about elementary right now,” Gobble said, “but I know what good teaching looks like.”

On the first day, she saw it all around her.

A dream years in the making

For Landon Carter, stepping into Cuthbertson High School meant finally pursuing a career he'd wanted for years.

After 30 years with the federal government, Carter retired early and became a teacher. Now in his second year of teaching, he's beginning his first year at UCPS.

As the first day approached, Carter had a few things on his mind. He wanted to get a good night's sleep. He wanted to bring positive energy. By his own admission, he had overplanned.

And he was thinking about technology.

Not because he was worried about using it, but because he knew what it would feel like if something didn't work.

“When you have like 35 kids looking at you and something's not working, you know?” Carter said.

Once the students arrived, Carter got to what he'd been looking forward to most: getting to know them.

A few days into the school year, Carter was walking down the hallway when one of his students looked away from his group of friends and acknowledged him.

“Hey, Mr. Carter.”

Another came in his American history class, when a student who clearly knew his history described himself as a “history nerd.”

Carter understood.

He's a history nerd, too.

Carter has spent years working with young people as a camp counselor, camp director and Scout leader. Teaching gave him another way to do that.

“This is my dream job,” he said.

UCPS' New to U program, along with the support of his Cuthbertson colleagues, helped him step into the new school with confidence.

As he looks ahead to the year, Carter hopes his students take something with them long after they leave his classroom.

“I want them to feel more sure of themselves,” he said, “of who they are and their academic gifts and talents.”

The first day doesn't come with instructions for everything that follows.

It simply asks you to begin. So you do.