Skip to main content

A New Direction?


The war of uncertainty inside my head was raging as I walked into school yesterday to pack up my belongings. What will happen for the kids I took under my wing? Who will advocate for them? What is next for me? Will I be able to find a job close to home? Is it time to change careers? Do I need to start teaching to the test more blatantly?

I met teachers along the way. Telling them my news and saying goodbye. Well wishes and affirmation that I am a good teacher. Due to the fact I didn’t have the opportunity to tell my students, the hardest person to break the news to was the guidance counselor. I don’t know if she is aware of it, but she was my rock throughout the year. After the tears were shed, she asked if I ever taught in an inner-city school. She began to describe her vision of me in that setting. I saw it. I felt it. Later, the assistant principal mentioned something similar.

Throughout the day, tears came and went as the voices inside my head began to change their tune. Mandie, you need to work in a high needs school. With at-risk students. That is where you do your best work. Not many people want those jobs. There is sure to be something in the Raleigh/Durham area. You need those kids. They need you. Be true to you!

Steps I will be taking to stay true to the teacher I want to be:

1.  Get a job working with kids that very few teachers want in their classroom.
2.  Meet them where they are. Build relationships.
3.  Find a way to hook them into the joy of learning.
4.  I am not sure how to put this step into words. This is where the magic happens. The piece I really have no control over. The part where they blossom as the young men and women they are.

The war over, the work begins now. My resume updated ready to go out. Letters of recommendation requested. Time to research openings and fill out applications.  The adventure continues.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WABDR: Section 1

Section 1  We end at the beginning  Does it feel like this trip will never end? Epic adventures tend to last a bit longer than just an average one. So….on with our tale.  We got our bikes all packed up and continued over White Pass. The first time we went over it, it was a cloudy day. Thus, the visibility of the mountains was not much. I was expecting the same on our return trip to Packwood. Therefore, it took my breath away when I saw the mountain off in the distance for the first time. The beauty was so overwhelming, I teared up.    I continued to watch the mountain until I could see it no more. Soon we were in Packwood. Back where we started. After a quick breakfast at the local coffee shop, we were on our way. I may have taken a few minutes to ride the big bike first… Not too long though, because someone was ready to get moving.  Jennifer had some friends that were camping at Walupt Lake, which is right on the trail for Sectio...
Post a Comment
Read more

Aging sucks.....or does it?

Upon first thought, watching a parent age sucks. Unnoticeable at first. A bit of a stoop, some creaking in the knees, whitening of the hair. The doctor’s visits begin, as do the pills One for high blood pressure, another to thin the blood, and a handful of vitamins to top it off. The signs are there, but it is easier to see him as he has always been. My father, a pillar of strength. Until my pillar was knocked off-kilter. A simple surgery and the mortality of my father looked me square in the eye when the drugs took hold of his brain. Amidst his fidgeting and confusion, I realized…AGING SUCKS! And then….enlightenment dawned upon me….AGING IS BEAUTIFUL Wrinkles tell of smiles while silver hair speaks a life of memories. Knees creaky after years of kneeling in prayer, offering up a lap, and climbing up the stairs for one more kiss goodnight. Almost forty-eight years of memories nestled in my heart. Memories of my father. Taking us to church each Sunday Building and fixing ...
2 comments
Read more

WABDR, Section 2: Part 1

WE GET ON THE TRAIL, finally WABDR Section 2 It has taken forever to get to this part of the story, but we are finally here! The day we go off-road. But first, we go into Packwood in hopes of getting a first-aid kit that we realized we forgot the previous evening. No first-aid kit was to be found. Mostly because the one store that we figured would have one was closed. If you read the second installment of this story, you already know our response. (For those who didn’t read it, we dubbed this the F-it Trip.) We would figure it out as we went along. The way we handled it was to have a good breakfast and charge up our intercom system. As we rode down the road to get to the trail with our music playing, I felt as if we were straight out of Easy Rider... except much more badass. After all, we were going off-road. Pretty sure the big, wide, bug-catching grin on my face didn’t look so tough though.  White Pass went on for awhile. The clouds looked a bit ominous. I paid i...
1 comment
Read more