I spent all day enrolling young students for ESOL courses at a Sixth Form College. They were keen and excited to get signed up for the next stage of their academic journeys. I have to admire them - they are starting A Level courses in a second language in a foreign country and they are only 16. I need to remember this feeling of admiration when I am nagging them about their homework in a couple of weeks - it is all too easy for teachers to think that their subject is the only thing that matters, when it is a very small part of a teenager's life.
I'm almost 40. It's a long time since I took my A levels! So, it is gratifying to learn (or, at least be reminded) that teenagers can be pleasant, respectful and enthusiastic - just not necessarily for the same reasons as adults are.
I love the beginnings of school years - everything is fresh and new and enthusiastic! Hope it goes well!
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