TORONTO, Ont. - As the back to school jitters set in for children, those who will be instructing them are also feeling butterflies in their stomach.
"Preparation for the first day is really more detailed as a day than any other day. It really sets the tone for the rest of the year, so we spend a lot of time just focusing on that first day, our first week," Bilal, a high school teacher, told 680News.
"If we were to try to explain it to someone, it'd be a lot like coaches getting ready for training camp. You don't stop being a teacher in the summer. You start thinking about what went well last year and how could I make my course better," he added.
However, "it's a great time to be a teacher because you're looking forward to new students, new possibilities, new things to do and ways to get involved with the students."
Nadine, a high school teacher for the past five years, told 680News "I definitely feel the same way ... all the classes are still new to me and exciting, and I don't know who's going to be in my class."
Nadine said those preparing to teach for the very first time should "take one day at a time. You can't overplan."
That is advice Vanessa can take, as she is preparing to teach at a brand new school on Tuesday. She told 680News she feels much like a student.
"The first day I would say is probably the hardest day of the whole, entire year. It's exciting but yet, you are nervous," she said.
"You're the new person on the block. You don't know a lot of the routines, and a lot of the other teachers. As welcoming as other teachers are, it's still a little bit of anxiety being the new person on the block."
As a result, nervous students can take comfort in the fact that their teachers feel much the same way.