time can be a funny thing

This is our 3rd week of the school year. This marks the fourth time in my life as a teacher that I have started a new school year.. I feel like each year goes by faster and faster. The year we had our son was the fastest so far. I think the average school year is 178 days long. The state of Arkansas will allow you to retire after 28 years of teaching. That means if you retire the first year available you probably worked on average of 4, 984 days as a teacher. That is 28 extremely long first days of school. In Kindergarten you have 20 students. In a Kindergarten teaching career you will probably have more than 560 kiddos in your classes (assuming some students will move throughout the year). An average 28 year teaching career means an average of 4,984 days of teaching. I have already completed about 544 teaching days so far. Part of me gets excited to know that the count down doesn't seem too unbearable but part of me knows that I need to enjoy every minute of my job. It is rare to meet people that absolutely love their job. I am one of those people. I know that of the 560 kiddos placed in my room they are all there for a reason. I know I can teach them all something and they can all teach me something. I know I need to cherish and make the most of the 4,440 more days. This job is one of the only jobs I can think of that can keep my attention. Looking forward to the next 25 or so years!