Louisville teachers put finishing touches on classrooms, preparing for 1st day of school

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The countdown is on for teachers and students as the start of the new school year begins in just a few days in Louisville. Both sides are already feeling the first-day-of-school jitters.

"Even though it's my 13th year, I'm nervous ever year," Jessica Galati, a fifth-grade teacher at Wheeler Elementary School, said Monday. "In the summer, you start to miss it. You miss your kids."

Inside Wheeler Elementary School on Monday, teachers were busy setting up for the first day of school. They said it's important for kids to walk into a welcoming environment, which makes the transition from home to school much easier.

"Every year, you get a different group of kids. They're all different," said Tran Nakata, a third-grade teacher. "So, every year is brand new to me."

Teachers are getting the classroom ready, everything from decorations to organizing school supplies and going over lesson plans.

"It's a lot of going through those lessons, pulling out the main target for each of those," Galati said.

This year, there was enough funding at Wheeler to get supplies for the 650 students enrolled at the school.

"I've got to work on getting their supplies out to them and getting them labeled," Galati said.

The only thing kids have to worry about is a backpack and a folder. The rest of the first week back brings lesson planning for teachers, and they want parents to make sure the kids have a good night's sleep.

"We need them to get their rest," Wheeler Principal Penny Espinosa said. "We need them here on time, so they are not rushed."

That first day can be overwhelming, but everyone is trying to prepare to make it a little bit easier.

"We still have kids that will cry on the first day being away from home," Galati said.

For more back-to-school coverage, click here.

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