The first day of school always makes me a little nervous.  It’s a good nervousness, though, the kind that’s mixed with the excitement of possibility.  In less than an hour, I’ll be in front of the first class of the new school year–class of freshmen, nonetheless–so the nerves for that class are extra jittery.  I’m not quite as nervous as I was last year, probably because it’s not the first day of my first year as a professor.  But I liken this nervousness to the feeling one gets right before going on stage to perform or before going out onto the field to play a big game.  I get these nerves just about every day that I teach, but it’s especially pronounced on the first day of school.  The slate is clean (on both sides of the desk), there’s new blood in the building, and the school year is rife with opportunity and untapped potential.  I know that once classes get rolling the nerves will fade away.  But I enjoy being nervous before school.  The way I see it, it means that I care.  Here’s to hoping I always have first-day jitters.