Back to school
Weird thing about being on (permanent) maternity leave. The whole "Back To School!" marketing blitz still gives me the shivers. I guess this will be the first September since preschool when I won't be going back to school, yea now on 31 years or so. As a student, one can understand the dread of it all. But what I always explain to my students is that teachers feel it too. "Unlike you, we actually get paid to stay at home for the summer. So boo hoo for me too."
There's a lot to miss. The new stuff- just like students, teachers get a lot of new crap too. Sure it might not be a brand spankin' new Trapper Keeper- but it's still cool. New signs, bulletin board supplies, name tags for the desks, professional books, reems and reems of wide ruled paper and notebooks, markers and a class list. A list of people you hope to influence in some positive way.
I'll miss the early morning drive; there's nothing like watching the sun come up over Lake Michigan while tooling down LSD with the cool breeze blowing and the music crankin'. I'll miss seeing my friends, although most of them have moved on to greener pastures after our school was taken over by the creepy-crawly- matching-colored-leather-suit ladies.
But mostly I'll miss the students. Yes, even though most of my day was spent dealing with discipline, fights, attitudes. Even though I spent most of my evenings spewing obscenities against them, sleepless nights thinking about them, after school crying about their lack of motivation and respect. There's still something joyous about having the big desk. To see the shock and disbelief on their faces when you explain that hamburgers are made out of cows.
NOOOOOO!
Yes, cows. And do you want to know where bacon comes from?
It's magical. And although most often news of my former students comes in the form of who was arrested for what and who was killed on the corner, I'd like to think that my years in CPS made some sort of positive impact on somebody. Bear with me here, this is a big chapter of my life I'm closing. I've probably laughed, cried, beat-my-head-against-the-wall more during my tenure here than I will have during any other part of my life.
I'm mourning. Excited for the future, but still mourning.
There's a lot to miss. The new stuff- just like students, teachers get a lot of new crap too. Sure it might not be a brand spankin' new Trapper Keeper- but it's still cool. New signs, bulletin board supplies, name tags for the desks, professional books, reems and reems of wide ruled paper and notebooks, markers and a class list. A list of people you hope to influence in some positive way.
I'll miss the early morning drive; there's nothing like watching the sun come up over Lake Michigan while tooling down LSD with the cool breeze blowing and the music crankin'. I'll miss seeing my friends, although most of them have moved on to greener pastures after our school was taken over by the creepy-crawly- matching-colored-leather-suit ladies.
But mostly I'll miss the students. Yes, even though most of my day was spent dealing with discipline, fights, attitudes. Even though I spent most of my evenings spewing obscenities against them, sleepless nights thinking about them, after school crying about their lack of motivation and respect. There's still something joyous about having the big desk. To see the shock and disbelief on their faces when you explain that hamburgers are made out of cows.
NOOOOOO!
Yes, cows. And do you want to know where bacon comes from?
It's magical. And although most often news of my former students comes in the form of who was arrested for what and who was killed on the corner, I'd like to think that my years in CPS made some sort of positive impact on somebody. Bear with me here, this is a big chapter of my life I'm closing. I've probably laughed, cried, beat-my-head-against-the-wall more during my tenure here than I will have during any other part of my life.
I'm mourning. Excited for the future, but still mourning.
posted by kroushlconflict at 7:24 PM
6 Comments:
"there's nothing like watching the sun come up over Lake Michigan while tooling down LSD with the cool breeze blowing and the music crankin'."
Someone should write a song about that or something.
Also, why is it over? You can always go back. In fact, it might be a good study in contrasts between when you put it down for a few years and when you eventually go back.
I won't be going back to CPS mostly because I expect we'll be leaving the city sometime soon.
I expect my next teaching gig to be a lot different, I guess that's why I feel like this part of my life is over for some reason. Silly I guess.
Cheers to the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
[SFX Cue: DeBeers Diamonds Jingle / morphs into Oompa Loompa refrain / "Pokey Moon to Pokemon..."]
Oh Herb, I'll never forget Herb.
I also have a love/hate relationship with school. Right now, it's "hate" since I have a weekend of work ahead of me. Teaching is a calling and when you make a change, it's not easy. Those kids were blessed to have you in their lives. You are smart enough to have taught anywhere you wanted and you chose to go into one of the roughest neighborhood around. Kudos to you.
I also have a love/hate relationship with school. Right now, it's "hate" since I have a weekend of work ahead of me. Teaching is a calling and when you make a change, it's not easy. Those kids were blessed to have you in their lives. You are smart enough to have taught anywhere you wanted and you chose to go into one of the roughest neighborhood around. Kudos to you.
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