Turning the wall calendar
to August
yesterday
felt bittersweet.
Suddenly,
there is a square
filled with the words
“Teachers’ first day back”.
It’s not a bad thing,
but I do so enjoy
the languid days of July,
made even more so by
our recent heat wave.
Before too long,
the bustle of
“back to school”
will be upon me.
It comes before my official
first day back.
Having lost the energy of a school day
to the halcyon days of July,
I need to rebuild
my stamina.
I will go in for a few hours
to start unpacking boxes
I so carefully packed
in June
and forgot about in July.
With each emptied box,
my strength and anticipation
grow
until I am ready
and eager
to face a new group
of students.
booksandbassets 
How well I can identify with these vividly-expressed feelings. Now, as a retired teacher, August is bittersweet for me for different reasons. There’s a part of me that will always miss the anticipation of a new school year. You nailed exactly how I used to feel and the way the excitement grew slowly, until I couldn’t wait to greet my students. Savor the moments!
Yes, August was always bittersweet. The hot days…the birthday celebrations…the opening up of the classroom…the start of a new school year. I know that you will be ready and raring to go on that first day. Enjoy the days leading up to it.
I want to clap, so well you capture the advent of August. “Halcyon” is one of my all-time favorite words, and the lines “bustle of/back to school” so evocative. I guess you’re staying at your school; the are lucky to have you. Hopefully, the heat wave has passed and some “languid days” are still in your future.