Today is the start of my 23rd year as a teacher. It's thrilling and exhausting but the light has never dimmed, the passion remains. Although the NYC Department of Education didn't make life easy today. We were given half a day to set up our rooms.
That includes moving all of my stuff from my old classroom into a new classroom, which is a lot after 22 years. It is setting up, cleaning up, cleaning out, SHAMPOOING OUR OWN RUGS (or rather the rugs I inherited, which are a filthy, stained atrocity), hauling out large pieces of unwanted furniture, contacting parents, planning for the week, and making things presentable to welcome the children tomorrow. All without air conditioning or windows that opened on a hot city day that saw temperatures rise to above 90 degrees.
The good news is...the room is huge and I have a very big closet. Today we got the basic layout in place and in the coming days will add those special touches that say, "Magic happens here".
2 comments:
It's a beautiful classroom, and I absolutely know magic will happen in it. Congrats on 23 years of teaching! Lucky kids!
Found your blog via Shadows and Light.
I'm so glad you have the passion to continue to teach for so long!! Especially with the lack of support by the school system (and often times the parents). You undoubtedly have made a big difference in the lives of your students.
My daughter is now starting her 4th year of teaching juniors and seniors in high school. Her students love her (mostly). She is young and full of energy and 'speaks their language' while maintaining rigorous standards. How do you people DO it?
In any case, I'm glad you do.
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