There is a very special tradition in Germany dating back to the 1800s that on the first day of school for children entering the first grade, they get what's known as a Schultüte (meaning school cone or bag). Much like a Christmas stocking, a Schultüte is a paper cone that should be decorated and filled with toys, sweets, and school supplies to start the year off right.

I had never heard of this tradition before I moved to Germany, and so I was really surprised when on the first day of my teaching year at my current international school, my "buddy" (another teacher who volunteered to help me adjust to life at the school) presented me with a tiny Schultüte of my own. I think at that moment I felt a little bit of the joy that German first graders must feel when they get their own Schultüte. It was an acknowledgement that something new was beginning for me, and even though I know thousands of German school children (and some international school teachers) across the country were also getting Schultütes on their first day, I still felt incredibly special...