It's all about perspective

In a week or two (or more if you teach in a district that starts...gasp!... after Labor Day) we'll be up to our armpits in alligators.  Last year, at a reading conference I attended, Lester Laminack (I think because that page isn't labeled in my Writer's Notebook, but it is right next to a page of things he did say) said, "Once the year begins you can't see the forest for the trees." That's how I feel right now.  I have a pretty good picture of the forest.  I have read all my IEP's, anecdotal records for each student and more books on ASD than I care to count (I am so, so, so glad that I live near my alma mater and the good folks in circulation allow alumni to check out from the research library).  Still, I know even though I am prepared, I am not actually in it.  That's the part that I lose sleep over.  There are things in this new adventure that I don't have real-life experience with (but I probably read about it).  I just hope my learning curve is steep.