The new teacher...

I got in this game sort of late. I became a teacher after raising daughters for awhile and trying out other careers. I was never that "fresh out of college" type of teacher. 

My resident year I had a mentor who did not mentor. I learned by watching, asking questions, and scouring the internet.

The next year I moved here and certainly did not look like a "new" teacher. I think people assumed I knew it all and did not need help. Very little was offered and I muddled through. 

Once I knew the ropes, I made it a priority to help new teachers as much as possible. I remembered how lost I felt. Then I moved again...

I'm lost again. I'm surrounded by assumptions and lack of patience. I catch on quickly if you tell me just once, but you have to freaking tell me! I'm on a team of five people. It is not a team. I miss the dream team I was blessed to be with every day last year.

Today was particularly difficult. I'm reminded again why teachers quit, and it is rarely the kids. The kids are why I don't quit.

Different...

At the elementary school, where I worked last year, the kids gathered in the halls or cafeteria before school. They had to sit on the floor, keep pretty quiet, stay in one spot.

At the junior high, they get off the bus, out of dad's truck, mom's Jeep, walk from the corner house, and they get to hang outside.

This week I have duty, which means I watch teenagers play. I get the basketball court so I watch mostly boys.

 

I am amazed how they squeeze several games of football and basketball into such a small space. Junior high is so different. These kids, who just last year could not work together, now cooperate enough to run football the width of the court while basketball goes the length.

My classes are good. I adore my first hour, Pre-AP, and my 7th hour. I love the pace and for some reason, despite how busy we are, I find more time to work one-on-one with a few kids every hour. That is progress.

I miss the team I worked with at the elementary school. We meshed so well. I miss the administrators too. I don't feel appreciated at my new school. But, every day, every single day, some kid lets me know, in some small way, that what I'm doing matters, and that makes all the difference.