[caption id="attachment_37326" align="alignright" width="252"]<a href="https://staging.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RES9488.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-37326" src="https://staging.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RES9488-690x1024.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="408"></a> Suzanne Blank has her “big books” laid out while she sorts through papers in her first-grade classroom Thursday, Aug. 16. Photos by Bob Sofaly.[/caption]

The first day of school is tough. New ideas, new rules to learn. It signals the end of summer and time to get back to the grind — and that’s just for the teachers.

“We only have one week to prepare for the first day of school,” said veteran teacher Suzanne Blank, who will be teaching first grade this year at Beaufort Elementary School. This is Blank’s first year teaching in Beaufort County.

Blank said with only five days to prepare in the classroom, time management is crucial.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

“I’m working on work flow and organization,” she said. “Right now time is my biggest obstacle. Not only do we have to get our rooms together, we have meetings on and off throughout the day.”

A big, broad smile came over her face as she started talking about the 19 kids who would be in her class starting Monday, Aug. 20.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

“It’s all worth it on the first day of school,” she said. “After that first day, we’ll be one big family.”

<em>Photo at top:&nbsp;Sheryl Mack, left, literacy coach at Beaufort Elementary School, gives first-grade teacher Suzanne Blank some of the books she will need throughout the year. Teachers spent all of last week getting ready for the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 20.&nbsp;</em>