ABSTRACT
Mid-September days feel special to those involved with schools. For most people, the year begins in January. For students, teachers, and administrators, the year begins in September. New Year’s Day in January is a punctuation, a short celebration of a calendrical convention. The academic new year comes after a major pause, months for most, and even a good break for those who attended or taught summer school. Students carry new notebooks to begin new courses, and teachers carry new record books; students’ work of the previous year is not even a shadow on the memory. No matter what happened last year, the new year can be better. High energy is everywhere, infectious even to those with diminished resources.
