First Bell

Today is the first day of school. It’s easy to see on my walk to school; all the students are carrying a variety of flowers that they will give to their teachers throughout the day. Normally, the first day of school is September 1, but it was a Saturday this year. In years past, they sometimes will still make the first day of school be September 1, even if it’s on the weekend. Luckily, we were allowed to start on the Monday.

As I walk to school, I can’t help but be excited. I know that this year will still be difficult, but at least I will be back working with students and in a familiar place. Plus, this is the first time that I'm teaching a curriculum that I had taught the year before. And even though I know I will have so many awkward situations, I’m excited to work with the students once more.

Last year, there were so many awkward situations because I didn’t know what I was doing. My partners often didn’t automatically tell me what was going on, so I had to ask. But many times, I didn’t know what to ask. And this year, it feels like that they assume that I know what is going on since I was here last year. So I have to ask more about what is going on then before. For example, when I got to school, one of my partner teachers told me that my main partner wasn’t going to be here for the first lesson. My main partner hadn’t told me, and I ended up waiting in her room for her during the first lesson before someone told me she wasn’t coming. Oh well. But it’s nice to be back regardless.

The day began with the ceremony to start the new school year. Everyone gathered in the courtyard, which was nicely decorated with balloons and artwork. The ceremony began with welcoming the new fifth form students. The director also welcomed the new and returning teachers. The chairman of the executive branch of Criuleni also spoke about the year beginning. A couple students recited the school rules, and of course, several students perform songs. Three students dedicated flowers to the students, teacher, homeroom teacher, and school. The ceremony ends when two students from the first grade and two students from the last grade (which at this school is 5th and 12th form) walk around the courtyard ringing a bell that represents the first bell of the school year.

The first lesson was with the students’ homeroom teachers, and the lesson is about Ion and Doina Aldea Teodorovici, who are two famous singers in Moldova who died in a car crash in 1992. There was one other lesson after that and a meeting for the teachers. It was actually a pretty short day overall, but it officially means that the school year has begun.