Flying Time

I remember it vividly.  The night before my first day as a high school teacher.  I talked to my friend Kelly, and she gave me some pointers.  She had already been in school for a few weeks, so it was nice to hear she made it out alive.  I packed my lunch. Laid out my clothes.  Set my alarm, and I put my bag by the door.  Sitting in that little apartment in Eden, I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into.  Luckily, on that night before school started, I was fortunate to have one of my best friends staying with me.  Caroline was on her way to DC to start her year long AmeriCorp program.  I doubt either one of us slept very well that night.  I slept as a child sleeps on Christmas Eve...but the anticipation was so different.  We got up early and gathered our things.  We walked down the stairs and awkwardly hugged goodbye.  I was reminiscent of the sad goodbye years before when she left my college dorm room.

Caro was on her way to DC, and I was on my way to RCHS.  Butterflies and other cliches entered the scene really quick.  I was nervous beyond any words imaginable.  I quietly walked into that building and six years later, I'm still there.

It's sometimes hard to believe that I've spend six years of my life doing one thing.  Up 'til now every four years I've switched it up.  Middle school for three years led into four years of college which was followed up by another four years in college.  Life up til now has been sectioned off nicely, but now I've spent the most years since elementary school doing something.

There have been moments of immense joy within the past years in teaching.  There have also been moments of extreme frustration.  Time passes and I learn something new everyday with teaching.  How could you not?  I told my students the other day that if I ever felt like I wasn't learning or doing a good job, I wouldn't want to teach.  I don't think it would be fair to the students.

Here I am six years later.  I sometimes don't know how I feel about this job.  I have been disappointed in North Carolina's government in their (in my opinion) unfair treatment of teachers.  But, I have to question why I do this.  It isn't for the gov't, it isn't for the people that clearly don't care about education.  I do this for the kids.  For my kids.