New Old School

I have a teaching job. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen for the year (long delays and complications getting my certification transferred) and honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to teach this year. Teaching is exhausting and I really, really, wanted to take time to focus on myself.

But the reality of life is I need money, and a para position wouldn’t pay the bills. I was fortunate enough, right before the start of the school year, to interview for and be offered a job teaching second grade. It’s at the very first school I ever worked at. I was honestly worried it would feel like I was traveling back in time; that I was moving backwards. X and I started dating when I worked here. I was worried it would remind me too much of him.

That hasn’t been the case. While there are many of the same faces, there are many new faces here also. And I am a different person. It has helped me realize that I really am moving forward, even though I have returned to this school.

My class has a lot of intense behaviors. The first week, I was worried I had made a bad decision in accepting this job. But I am really good at what I do, and things are really starting to turn around in the class. I’m feeling engaged and present, and my work here has reminded me why I love being a teacher. I love problem-solving on the spot, working with vibrant young children who need my guidance, and having a strong knowledge base to build from. In the end, I’m glad I took the job.