Lee County teachers head back to the classroom

Teachers are preparing for their first day back to school in Lee County.

Friday, they were setting up their classrooms and getting ready for their students, whose first day of class is Aug. 12.

Michael Pape is an 8th-grade World History teacher at North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts. He said he’s doing what he always wanted to do.

“I’m excited, little nervous,” said Pape. “I would say just as much nervous as I am excited, but this is my dream. I’ve been waiting to do this my entire life.”

Christina Moffat is a band director at the school and has been living Pape’s dream for 20 years.

“I’m one of the teachers that has been here the longest,” said Moffat. “I’ve built and helped build the arts program here. I’m just so excited to be back, I really am.”

But before that, they have a long week of training, lesson planning and setting up their rooms.

Moffat also has some advice for the parents.

“I would start waking your kids up earlier,” said Moffat. “They come in dragging those first couple of days. I would start now getting them up a little bit earlier. They’re used to sleeping way in, and that seems to be the thing on the first couple days of school.”