---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's always a bit of suspense about…"
description: "\"There's always a bit of suspense about the particular way in which a given school year will get off to a bad start.\" — Frank Portman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/frank-portman-27804_given_there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-t_1461875.png"
---

#  There's always a bit of suspense about the particular way…

![“There's always a bit of suspense about the particular way in which a given school year will get off to a bad start.” quote by Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/frank-portman-27804_given_there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-t_1461875.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/frank-portman-27804_given_there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-t_1461875.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/frank-portman-27804_given_there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-t_1461875.png)

> “There's always a bit of suspense about the particular way in which a given school year will get off to a bad start.”

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A school year can start poorly, creating lingering anxiety about how the rest will unfold.

**In simple terms:** Bad starts cause ongoing worry.

Key Takeaway

Address early issues to prevent long‑term problems.

Themes

education anxiety anticipation

Mood

concerned reflective

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

- first day of school
- parent‑teacher meetings
- curriculum planning

Key Concepts

risk perception psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you reset after a rough beginning?
- What actions can improve the trajectory?

A Different Perspective

A single bad start doesn’t determine the whole year.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bit Suspense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bit-suspense-755620/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-school-3414795/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-year/) [Suspense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspense/) [Suspense Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspense-particular-5282565/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [I like to play characters that get to do it all - to have a bit of comedy here and a bit of pathos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/i-like-to-play-characters-that-get-to-do-it-all-to-have-a-bit-of/)

[Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/)

> [The higher education so much needed today is not given in the school, is not to be bought in the market place, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-higher-education-so-much-needed-today-is-not-given-in-the-school/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [Well, Diotallevi and I are planning a reform in higher education. A School of Comparative Irrelevance, where useless or impossibe courses are given. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/well-diotallevi-and-i-are-planning-a-reform-in-higher-education-a/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“Outside, the night was settling fast. I liked the peace and the silence of the countryside, with its fading alpenglow and darkling view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/outside-the-night-was-settling-fast-i-liked-the-peace-and-the-silence/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [The roll out of a new car is always filled with great anticipation; it's almost like going back to school for a new school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-horner/the-roll-out-of-a-new-car-is-always-filled-with-great-anticipation-it/)

[Christian Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-horner/)

> [Students should feel excited and prepared for the new school year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/students-should-feel-excited-and-prepared-for-the-new-school-year/)

[London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/)

> [“Maybe when you were a kid you were so unsure of yourself that every school year was a time of reinvention; maybe only adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/maybe-when-you-were-a-kid-you-were-so-unsure-of-yourself-that-every/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [“To me, summer has always been about potential. This was especially true when I was in high school. Those 3 or so months between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/to-me-summer-has-always-been-about-potential-this-was-especially-true/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“If it weren’t for the fact that he’d been flat on his back in a full body cast, then recovering, he probably would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/if-it-weren-t-for-the-fact-that-he-d-been-flat-on-his-back-in-a-full/)

[Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/)

> [I used to always rock a cap when I was in high school and get them taken away. It was an excessive amount. Like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/i-used-to-always-rock-a-cap-when-i-was-in-high-school-and-get-them/)

[Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/)

> [“Malcolm Gladwell book, Outliers. In it, he notes a well-documented Canadian study that shows kids born in January tend to make better grades and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-vaters/malcolm-gladwell-book-outliers-in-it-he-notes-a-well-documented/)

[Karl Vaters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-vaters/)

> [“I have a fond daydream of a day when, like normal, unclutterd folks, I can bring people through my house without hesitation, without secrecy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-o-schaub/i-have-a-fond-daydream-of-a-day-when-like-normal-unclutterd-folks-i/)

[Eve O. Schaub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-o-schaub/)

> [Being grounded during the school year ain't to bad, but being grounded during the summer is like sitting in the pits of hell all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-grounded-during-the-school-year-ain-t-to-bad-but-being-grounded/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The one thing I'd learned over the entire school year was that the more you trusted someone, the more it hurt when they betrayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-oh/the-one-thing-i-d-learned-over-the-entire-school-year-was-that-the/)

[Anita Oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-oh/)

> [School year: Me: Yeaaa it's Saturday, Let's do something crazy!! Friend: Totally! Summer: Me: Dude, what day is it? Friend: I think it's Saturday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/school-year-me-yeaaa-it-s-saturday-let-s-do-something-crazy-friend/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Frank Portman

> [It was more like an abortion than music, but he got a wildly enthusiastic response from the crowd. Well, we're all pro-choice out here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/it-was-more-like-an-abortion-than-music-but-he-got-a-wildly/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“I felt bad, but I did it anyway, because I'm only human. I was ashamed of myself and depressed afterward, though, which is human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/i-felt-bad-but-i-did-it-anyway-because-i-m-only-human-i-was-ashamed/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [Jane Gallagher had wanted to know what time it was, but for some reason Holden Caulfield hadn't wanted Stradlater to tell her. When Stradlater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/jane-gallagher-had-wanted-to-know-what-time-it-was-but-for-some/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“I felt bad because Little Big Tom came in while we were making the tape and was like over the moon because he thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/i-felt-bad-because-little-big-tom-came-in-while-we-were-making-the/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“No one does antimaterialism better than multigazillionaire rock stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/no-one-does-antimaterialism-better-than-multigazillionaire-rock-stars/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“And as for you, Holden, old son: if you happen to meet my body coming through the rye, I'd really appreciate it if you'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/and-as-for-you-holden-old-son-if-you-happen-to-meet-my-body-coming/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [Girls have all the same parts, basically, and so much of how they look depends on the attitude, expectations, and obsessions of those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/girls-have-all-the-same-parts-basically-and-so-much-of-how-they-look/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [Monty Python: A documentary series on everyday life in Great Britain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/monty-python-a-documentary-series-on-everyday-life-in-great-britain/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“I was starting to realize the extent of the problem here: everyone is always lying to each other, and even when they're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/i-was-starting-to-realize-the-extent-of-the-problem-here-everyone-is/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“There's something weird and sexual about the way some people talk about God--have you noticed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/there-s-something-weird-and-sexual-about-the-way-some-people-talk/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“One day they'll wake up and realize that we were right about everything all along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/one-day-they-ll-wake-up-and-realize-that-we-were-right-about/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“I'm not any religion myself, but for the record, I'm pretty sure I do believe in God. It's just a feeling I have. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/i-m-not-any-religion-myself-but-for-the-record-i-m-pretty-sure-i-do/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [Maybe they notice me wincing whenever I hear them say it, but I don't know: there are all sorts of reasons I could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/maybe-they-notice-me-wincing-whenever-i-hear-them-say-it-but-i-don-t/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [D and D: a role-playing game played only by very cool guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/d-and-d-a-role-playing-game-played-only-by-very-cool-guys/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“You can make something mean anything you want. And you can spend a great deal of time and effort choosing your words and allusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/you-can-make-something-mean-anything-you-want-and-you-can-spend-a/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

[Explore all 20 Frank Portman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

## More Given quotes

> [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/)

[Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [A low-minded person should not be given good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-low-minded-person-should-not-be-given-good-advice/)

[Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/)

> [The old charters of Massachusetts, Virginia, and the Carolinas had given title to strips of territory extending from the Atlantic westward to the Pacific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bushnell-hart/the-old-charters-of-massachusetts-virginia-and-the-carolinas-had/)

[Albert Bushnell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bushnell-hart/)

> [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/)

[Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [If life were like a competitive race, some people would be given a flying start and others would line up with weights tied to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mardy-grothe/if-life-were-like-a-competitive-race-some-people-would-be-given-a/)

[Mardy Grothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mardy-grothe/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Music is one of the ways by which you can know everything which is going on in the world. You can feel... through music...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/music-is-one-of-the-ways-by-which-you-can-know-everything-which-is/)

[Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/)

> [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/)

[Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [God has given believers the responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all the world, and we need to use all at our disposal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/god-has-given-believers-the-responsibility-of-spreading-the-gospel-to/)

[Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/)

[Browse all 10,948 Given quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There's always a bit of suspense about the particular way in which a given school year will get off to a bad start.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank Portman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-the-particular-way-in-which-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Given"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-the-particular-way-in-which-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/frank-portman-27804_given_there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-t_1461875.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/frank-portman-27804_given_there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-t_1461875.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/frank-portman-27804_given_there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-t_1461875.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's always a bit of suspense about the particular way in which a given school year will get off to a bad…” — Frank Portman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Frank Portman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There's always a bit of suspense...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-the-particular-way-in-which-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/there-s-always-a-bit-of-suspense-about-the-particular-way-in-which-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
