I was a fresh teacher. A little green behind the ear as they say. I had just been hired for my very first teaching job and I was nervous, excited, and thrilled all rolled into one.
Seven years later...I can't believe I'm closing the door on that same classroom.
To begin this story, we need to go back to January. Sitting in a booth with my mentor, former teacher, and dear friend, Mrs. McKinney, she looked at me just like she did seven years earlier and said, "You're stuck...you need to move." She encouraged me to at least TRY to send out a resume. So, speed up to.....
A couple weeks ago, I got a text from one of my best friends telling me that there might be a position opened in her county at her school. I have been hemming and hawing over what to do as far as moving for awhile now. I had all but decided just to stay where I'm comfortable and slyly ignore Mrs. McKinney's advice, but something told me to at least send a resume.
I made sure all my resume and cover letter ducks were in a row, and I emailed the principal. I truly left it up to God. I told myself that if it was in His plan for me to move, then He would open that door. A couple weeks later, the door swung open.
I received a call from that school's principal asking if I could come in for an interview the following day. That was a Tuesday. On Wednesday, I nervously drove to Winston-Salem and tried desperately to coax myself into believing I could do this...that it was the right thing...that I wasn't going to throw up in my car...the usual. The interview went well and at the end of it, the principal said he wanted to hire me. I think my jaw hit the floor.
I walked into Em's room and was introduced as the newest member of the English department at Mt. Tabor High School! She bounced up and down and yelled and whooped and was overall pretty ecstatic! I was able to walk around and see what will be my new classroom. It was surreal!
The next day, I was officially offered and subsequently accepted the job. I was excited, terrified, freaked out, and about a million different emotions! I went into school and began the extremely difficult process of telling my administrators, co-workers, and students. Whew...that was hard.
I'm still in shock. On Monday, I began taking down my room. The room that has been my second home for the past seven years. I feel like I'm peeling away memories every time I take down a poster, picture, project, note, or post-it. It's really been the first time it's sunk in and became real. It's hard to imagine myself not at Rockingham. This was, and will always be, my first job. My first taste of the "real world". I have so many colleagues and students who have changed my life.
I keep on stopping and looking around my room as I pack up. Every picture I take down, I smile. Every post it I take down, I laugh. Every part of this room means something to me. I remember where I stood the very first day I taught here. I remember where I was when I met my first student teacher. I remember so many students' faces filling up these desks. Their bright personalities filling up the space. Their lives filling up my heart.
The people here make Rockingham. I remember someone telling me, "It's like a family." They were right. It is. In the past week, since people people have found out I'm moving, I've had so many people come up to me with kind words and sincere wishes for the best as I move on. It's a hard move. It's one I've prayed about for a long time. A lot of that is because of this family at RCHS.
It is with an anxious, but excited heart that I leave these doors, however, I'm excited for this new journey and pray God continues to be with me as I go into this new adventure!
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