Lately, I have been feeling very fortunate and blessed for the many great things going on in my life. The one in particular that I want to single out is my career. Anyone who knows me in a professional setting knows/knew that I always felt that my calling was to 1st graders. ("1st graders" also represent the idea of early education) This, however, is not how my professional career started. Let me take you back to the beginning:
One of the best interviews I have ever had was at a Charter School earlier last summer. I was interviewing for what I hoped would be a 1st grade position; my dream! What seems like 2-3 weeks went by and I never heard anything even though I knew others that had interviewed that had already received their, "No thank you" calls. With about 2 weeks left of summer before I had to return to the Instructional Assistant position in Warren Township, I see an opening at Raymond Park Intermediate Academy. I planned and prepped for the interview and while I didn't think I did as well as I had at the Charter School, I felt like I had done my best.
A few days later I received a call telling me that I did not get the job at RPIA but that I was their 2nd choice. Apparently, it had been a tough decision and the vote was split. The week before school started, a 6th grade teacher at Creston (former Moorhead Assistant Principal at the school I used to work for) was offered a Special Ed position in another building. Knowing that RPIA had just done interviews, Creston called to see if they could get a few names of potential people to interview and my name was given to them. The 6th grade teacher who was leaving also put a good word in for me since she had worked with me at Moorhead.
The 6th grade teacher informed them around 11 am on Friday about her new position and I received a phone call at 3. When I went in, I automatically felt so comfortable and at ease. For anyone who knows my principal and assistant principal, you know how freaking lucky we are to work for such awesome people. Anyway, by 3:30 I was at the interview and things were going great. At the end, he asked if I had any questions. I asked how many people he planned on interviewing and when I thought I might know if I got the job. He said they had set up a few times and would probably get back to me by Monday or Tuesday. Knowing that 1st year teachers would have 1st year teacher training on Wednesday or Thursday, I said to him, "Or, you could just not have any more interviews and just hire me." He looked at the assistant principal and they both agreed that it sounded like a good idea. So, long story not so short, by 5pm that day, I was hired to teach 6th grade. (what I said sounds awkward...which I know I can be...but I swear it was funny and they laughed about it in the interview)
This bring us to almost 7 months later and the realization that there is nowhere else I would rather be. Would I have loved 1st grade? Yes. Would I have been a good 1st grade teacher? Yes. Are there days that I don't think I am the best 6th grade teacher? Yes. Getting to know these kids and see them growing into young adults, working on such deeper intellectual levels, counseling them through such awkward stages in their lives and teaching them to live their lives in respectful and responsible ways is so much more than I could have ever expected. This age group is not easy and not everyone is meant to teacher it.
I can honestly say that I truly feel honored to have been given this great opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone.
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