after the bell

One of the things I loved about teaching was its annual opportunity for forgiveness and  redemption.  The years that I was able to teach the same topics to a different set of students gave me the hope of eventually doing it well.  But this opportunity of a fresh start brings its own pressure, and many teachers believe that it is critical to start the year in a way that will pave the way to a successful year.  This belief is expressed wonderfully in this NPR audio essay by Emily Wylie.  How do her efforts relate to what happened with your best teachers?  Do you agree that getting the year off to a good start is important?