Monday, September 7, 2020

10th First Day

YES. 


Hello! It has been a while but I have returned to SpearTipEDU (on a limited basis because my world is going to get a lot busier!).  

Tomorrow, September 8th, 2020 will be my 10th first day of school as a teacher. I have returned to the K12 world and it starts tomorrow! The first nine years of my teaching career was spent at Brandon Valley Middle School. After that, I took a 5 year sabbatical from classroom teacher world as I entered the instructional coaching world at Sioux Falls and the Higher Education world at Dakota State University. But alas! I am back and I couldn't be more excited. Sure, I had 'first days' of school the last four years at DSU, but my DSU 'first day' consisted of 50 minutes with in person students and 7 hours and 10 minutes sitting in my office alone. So, I don't really count those as the first day of K12 world is far, far different. The electricity and excitement and nervousness and newness and adventure -- the 'first day' of a k12 school year has it all. I may be a little rusty, but I am so looking forward to being 'back in the trenches' with 7th, 8th, and 9th graders teaching US history and geography. Oh, how my worlds could not be different from last year to this year. DSU world was all about helping students learn HOW to be teachers - now, I am teaching content. No more flexible schedule, getting to go to the bathroom whenever I want, sleeping in, leaving early, 2 hour lunch break, four day work week, no more coffee shops 3 times a week. But I am CHOOSING to give all that up. I am wired for the K12 world. This is where I am best. True, helping college students learn how to be a PIRATE teachers is noble, important work, but I belong with young adolescents. So bring on the grind. Bring on the non-stop action. Bring on the long, boring stories. Bring on the young adolescent issues and drama. Bring on the parent/teacher conferences. Bring on the poor hygiene (though, maybe not this year). Bring on the five day week, the limited bathroom breaks, the 4 minute lunch hour. Bring on all the emails, the collaboration, the feedback, the lesson planning, the grading, the creating. Bring it all on.  Oh, and it was just my luck my return to the K12 world was during a global pandemic! Mask up. Let's teach!