I am teaching again! The best part is that I love it!
All summer I was mulling over my decision to resign. I even taught a summer enrichment program part-time, just a few hours and days per week, for a month, at a different school. It went very well. I spent the following month fasting for Ramadan and engaged in self-reflection. What do I want to do with my life, at least in relation to a career? I spent too many years going to graduate school in the evenings while struggling to learn to teach. It just felt too soon to quit for good.
I applied and enrolled in a university graduate program in another field, somewhat related, social work. It felt right, but not quite right. Once September rolled around and all of my teacher friends started their conversations about professional development, preparing their classrooms, and getting other things ready for the kids, I felt a sense of sadness set in. I wanted to be with the kids, teaching. I didn't want to spend two nights a week taking more classes for a degree that I wasn't sure I wanted that would put me deeper in debt. After all, I already changed careers many times and this last one handed me a pay cut that I still have yet to recover from six years later.
I was despising having to pay for my own health care as well. So, I decided to give substitute teaching a try, again. I signed up for the "training." Three days of mundane, unpaid, disorganized, belittling training. I made it through one and a half days. This was due to the fact that I found a position available at a former school and decided to ask for reinstatement as a full time teacher. Through some serious string pulling, I got the position and started just three days later, teaching 2nd grade. My first grade position. Though, it is only through the holiday season as the other teacher is on maternity leave. It has been a fabulous re-entry back into the classroom.
I have renewed my love of teaching! I always feared being a classroom teacher. I was fearful of having the same group of kids all day. But, I've found that is exactly what I need right now. I've been so fortunate to find such a great group of kids who are eager to learn. Many of their parents are actively involved. They all do their homework every night! Amazing! The staff and principal couldn't be more accommodating, professional and kind. I love it! I love it! I love it!
I still fear the unknown of January and where I will end up. I'm hopeful I can stay in this school even if I just "float" around for the remainder of the year. I'm very, very hopeful. I have dropped my graduate courses for now. I need more time to reflect on that course. There is no rush for another master's degree. One should be enough anyway, shouldn't it?
In the meantime, I'm eager to plan exciting lessons that engage the kids and myself. I love teaching math and science! I am so glad to not be teaching language and reading all day. I'm so glad to have my own classroom too! I have an ESL teacher pushing into my classroom three days a week, and I'll have some other people helping out as well. That will give me more time to plan for small groups to focus on writing and guided reading and math. The possibilities are endless, well, at least until January 1st!
I'll take what I can for now.
