Got my welcome back letter a few days ago. I will be starting my 21st year of teaching. It is hard to believe-where did the time go? I estimate I have taught at minimum 120 students a year which puts the total number well into the 2,000s......incredible. Most were great with a few interesting challenges along the way.
This school year is one that I am dreading for many reasons. We have a new evaluation system in place which really does not give us much of a chance to be successful unless we are perfect. We have had a lot of staff changes and promotions so I really don't know who my supervisor is going to be this year. We have a new teacher in the department but have not heard who yet. There is just a lot of upheaval with pre test and post tests to prove we are teaching the kids something. I didn't want to work in corporate America to help people make their obscene salaries but now I work under several systems that contribute to the obscene profits and salaries of the people determined to undermine public education. I have become very vocal about such things and wish people, parents in particular, would take a real interest in what is happening because it is not going to be good.
Last fall was a really difficult time with treatment, side effects from treatment, trips to the hospital for side effects and surgery. I almost died. I got a massive infection. I started a bunch of meds to make my body function. I was in really bad shape and the semester was really hard. Now I am having a really difficult time gearing up for the year because of my memories of last year. I know it won't be the same and I've already got one year of teaching the AP course under my belt so what's the problem? I don't know.
I saw a friend over the weekend who said to me and my other friend (who also had a very difficult medical year as well) "I don't know how you did it. You both look great, but you went through so much and now you are both fine. I don't know if I could have done that" or something along those lines. My friend and I told her you are in it and you can't undo it so you travel the journey and hope for the best. You don't know it all ahead of time and that's why you do it- it becomes a day by day thing and not a huge mountain to tackle in one day. It is daily progress and you have no choice. I need to take my own advice for this school year. A day at a time, do the best I can, work with what I know and learn as I go.
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