Of telling tales and biting nails

Though we have a teacher workday tomorrow, I am more or less done with school for the year. I have finished all of my grading, and spent the day today packing. (The high school is undergoing a huge remodeling, and the English offices and classrooms will be moving to a different part of the building.) So tomorrow is a short day, with most teachers cutting out early after grades are turned in.

The school year flew by for me, which surprises me a little, since starting a new job sometimes can prove overwhelming. But here are some year-end thoughts on my new job:

• I really like going to work, which many people cannot really claim, so I am lucky.
• I found my new colleagues to be helpful, friendly, and supportive. They helped make the new job easier.
• Though I started out the year worried a bit about working in such a supremely wealthy district, I have to say that overall I really loved my first-year experience. Though some students have a sense of entitlement because of their socioeconomic status, overall I found the students to be very friendly and open to new ideas. Overall. I started off the year getting a bit annoyed with my students, but in the end, I am really going to miss this group of kids.

The end of the school year always brings a few ego-boosting reminders about why I love being a teacher. I have gotten some very touching notes and emails from students thanking me for being their teacher, telling me they loved my class, etc. One student told me that this was the "most important class" he had ever had. I don't know what that means, but it sure made me feel good.

As many of you know, when I left my old job to go to grad school, I was not sure whether I would go back to teaching high school or move on to higher education. But I really started missing teaching high school. So after my first year back in the classroom, one thing that I can conclude for certain is that I made the right choice. I love being a teacher.


R.E.M. (with The National and Modest Mouse) tomorrow night!!!