Today was my last day of class. You will note that there is a significantly notable gap between this post and my last post. That gap, which spans my first year of teaching, has been marked by anything but absence. If there is nothing here in this space, it is only because those other spaces I inhabited are so full...
But today was my last day. Perhaps some nostalgia, some sense of missing it will come, but it is certainly not here yet. Today I feel exhausted, depleted, yet overjoyed at having come to the end not feeling like a failure. Sure, my successes have not been as tangible as TFA might like, but nonetheless, this has been a terrific year. A part of me can't believe it's already been a year. The other part (the larger part) feels like so much more time has past.
I sincerely love what I'm doing. At reunions, when I contemplated other paths I could have chosen, I was thankful that I found this job. I am blessed to be teaching some of the best high schoolers in Oakland. Students that have already overcome so many more obstacles than I have ever (and may ever) face, and continue to persevere.
But dealing with teenagers day in and day out is exhausting. I am so impressed with everyone who teaches, who wakes up everyday and faces a new day, a new lesson, in front of students. I will never take for granted the amount of work that my teachers must and done (and still continue to do)
I can honestly say that I am excited for next year. I cannot say, however, that I can't wait for it. Today, I will celebrate in the feeling that next year can wait, and will wait, and will ultimately be another wonderful year.
Also, I promise to (in some format) do a better job of filling in this gap with post dated stories about teaching that I may, finally, find funny.
