These years were a blur, or maybe it's that now they are so far away in all of my memories. I remember most getting very organized, gaining confidence, setting goals, looking two to three weeks "down the road" as opposed to my first year when I looked one day ahead. Gaining this ability to generate a vision of the what you must do along with how to do 'get there', as I think about this time in my teaching career seems to be "the thing" that I can identify as a "tipping point" to my staying in education. I always said, "I went into education not being sure it would become my career. But, I know I would give it five years, then decide to stay or move on. It seems as though after year one, when I turned around, five years had passed. So, I stayed in education."
Memories of my being able to shape much of what went on in my classroom, on my Varsity team, in my school (remember, there was only one high school at this time and we were it...no wonder I always liked 'small'!), and the fact that I had some control seem to shout as powerful reasons I stayed.
Something else, when I came in to education, my first school in particular, there were so many of "us" that were about the same age, similar backgrounds, and with energy levels that encouraged us to play together (bowling team, softball team, birthday parties, happy hour celebrations) and work together. I remember "liking" the fact that going to work meant I had some meaningful connections with the people there.
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It Takes Three
It takes three days to learn to snow ski. You can't learn any faster and the first two days are not fun. On day three, however, you lose the fear that you cannot stop. Once you have that control, the fun begins.
Teaching is on much the same timetable of "three." It takes three years to reach a point where you know exactly what you are doing, you have a comfort zone with the rules of the school, and you've matured enough to know you deserve the respect of the students. Year one and two you hope they respect you. Year three you expect the respect. At this point, the teaching fun begins.
S Smith: That's profound. Three days, three years. I agree, and I love the observation.
MJ: I am still not sure I am going to be a teacher, but I guess I am. It's been (somehow) almost 11 years. How the #%$@ did that happen? If I find out, I'll tell ya.
You took the words right out of my mouth...profound hits it right in the sweet spot!
I can really connect with that 11 years idea of wondering "what will I do when I grow up". I had the same thought. Actually, about once a decade. You can imagine my feelings of "deja vu"!!!
I couldn't resist another comment...I also went through a phase after the first decade where my favorite sayings could be summed up by two thoughts.
The first, "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, come sit by me". (Truly I have to attribute the paraphrase to Eleanor Roosevelt) The second phrase, "Go ahead and fire me...this way I can get a 'real' job!"
Of course all of this linguistic disobedience took place pre-administrator position. More on that later.
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