As the students get off the bus and march back into the school from their summer break, both the teachers and students are full of anticipation.  Students wonder, who is my teacher?  Teachers ask themselves, who are my students?  The night before, as teachers, we burn the midnight oil preparing for that first session of class.  What we say as teachers to our students on that first day is important because we set the tone for the rest of the year.  In your first staff meeting, you will look around to see who is new and who is back.  We imagine all the multiple hats that we will wear in order that we may educate the whole child.

This is a unique year in the field of education.  President Obama has the ESEA blueprint on the table for reauthorization, for example.  As teachers we are a little anxious of how it will individually impact us, yet we are determined to put forth our best efforts to prepare our students for the ever changing world in which we live in. 

On behalf of the Department of Diné Education, we wish you teachers and students the best for the upcoming school year.  We encourage all teachers to be mindful of the uniqueness of our Navajo children and from this Department we stand ready and willing to support you, the school and community in any way we can.

Timothy Benally, Assistant Superintendent of Schools