Book of Awesome - Back to School

I've been a big fan of Neil Pasricha's 1000 Awesome Things and the accompanying Book of Awesome books for quite some time. Here in Canada, we are just getting back into the swing of things and the new school year is starting. While driving home from holidays, my wife (who is also a teacher) and I were discussing back to school and the excitement of it. Now that I have been out of the classroom for a few years, I really miss being a classroom teacher on the first day of school. However, I do get to experience this from a different angle, as a parent of children going into grades 2 & 5.

So, we developed this list of what is awesome about getting back to school:

• New Stuff - For many students, back to school means all kinds of new things - new clothes, new shoes, new backpack and new school supplies. For me, I remember very clearly being excited about getting to pick out my new lunch kit for the year. Some of my most memorable ones include Wayne Gretzky, NHL, Smurfs and PacMan. For those who like organizing, it's a great time, labeling those new supplies, finding homes for all of your new stuff, setting up your locker / desk (or classroom for those who become teachers).
• Catching Up With Friends - Summer is a busy time and despite having more time off, it can be difficult to catch up with friends (this is true for both students and teachers). That first day back may be the first time you have seen your classmates for close to two months. For myself, I grew up on a farm and my nearest friend lived about 10 miles away, which meant it was rare to get together in the summer.
• Classrooms - As a teacher, it is a lot of work, but once you have your room set up for that first day, you can step back, look at the bulletin boards, the configuration of desks / tables, the reading corner, etc. and be proud. When the students enter in the morning, take a look at their faces. It's worth the work - they think that it is awesome.
• Shiny School Floors - Walking into the school and seeing the glare of lights off of the newly waxed floors, one realizes the amount of work that custodians have put in over the summer and that once school starts, the floors will not look like that until the next summer. Just maybe, you might catch one of us teachers running and sliding down the hallway before the start of school.
• Smiles - Despite the nervousness and the fact that they are back in school, nothing beats the big smiles that greet you when students walk into your classroom for the first time.
• Stories - Every kid has a story to tell you about the summer. Some are good, some are bad and some are just plain strange, but regardless, they can't wait to tell their story. Kids have the most awesome stories.
• The End of Day 1 - Once the room empties out at the end of the first day of school, as you collapse into your chair from exhaustion, you are grinning from ear to ear, thinking about how awesome the first day is.

What makes the first day of school awesome for you?