With a handful of first day of school’s under my belt, I am pretty confident that three things will always happen on the first day of school (and weeks to follow) for my son.

1. Chaos. Expect the first day of school to be chaotic.
The school is sorting out previous students, new registrations, and assigning students to teachers. They have a ton on their plate. This process usually takes about a week before you know who your child’s teacher and support staff will be.

2. Frustration. There is nothing more frustrating than wanting to know everything on the first day and being told it’s going to take a week to get everything sorted out. Meanwhile you’re biting your nails wanting to know when your first Individual Educational Plan (IEP) is, which Educational Assistant (EA) is working with your child, what a typical day for your child will look like, and what will the upcoming year consist of.

3. Overwhelmed. If the kids running around all over the place wasn’t overwhelming enough for you or your child, the amount of information overload that takes place on the first day of school definitely will. School supplies list, trying to remember teachers names, location of classrooms, even what to wear on the first day, can all feel overwhelming!

I want to say that it gets easier each year, but it doesn’t. Every school year will feel like it’s the first day of school all over again. The good news is that after a hurricane, comes a rainbow, and you’ll find with weeks to come, that everything will work out.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya