When I was a kid, the first day of school was such an exciting time. You’d meet your new teachers, see your new classroom, and, best of all, you wouldn’t have to jump straight into lessons. You got to enjoy the sweet embrace of syllabus day. Once all of the initial jitters were out, you could sit back, relax, and just listen to the teacher talk about what the rest of the year is going to look like.

If you’re a teacher, I’m almost positive your experience of the first day of school is different than that. After weeks of preparing your classroom, writing lesson plans, doing team development meetings, and hoping for the best, you finally get to meet the students you will be spending the next nine months with. If you’re a teacher who is stressing about this make-or-break day, these teaching memes will help mentally prepare you for the first day of the 2023-2024 school year.