#memorablemomentsineducation #15:
Being the new person sucks, especially in a department full of accomplished, smart, experienced teachers. Joining a group like that was intimidating as hell both times I’ve done it. Neither time I joined a new faculty was I a “newbie” teacher, but I certainly felt like one. And while it’s important for us to reach out to those brand new teachers and help them along, I think it can be even more important to welcome those who’ve come with some years under their belt, who’ve built a reputation elsewhere but made the leap to try something different.
One of my memorable moments my first year at Creek came when my colleague Matt stopped me in the hallway and asked how I was doing. For whatever reason (maybe something crappy had just happened or maybe he just looked sympathetic) I decided not to lie and say I was “fine” but instead unleashed how I was really feeling–overwhelmed, ill-prepared, unworthy, and somewhat miserable. In that moment, Matt had a choice to just keep on walking or to stop, listen, and commiserate. I’m thankful he chose the latter. He didn’t offer any advice or ways to fix my situation; he just heard me, and that’s all I needed.
This morning, Matt and I had another one of these “hallway moments.” We ran into each other on our way to separate meetings, in the very spot where he acknowledged my frustration all those years ago. This time we talked about whether we were the “rubes” of education for holding onto our positions as mere classroom teachers while colleagues moved on or up to bigger and better jobs as administrators and education consultants. Certainly we’re both capable of doing something else, of making more money, of having more prestige, but why would we want to do that because, as Matt says, “when things are good in the moment with students, there’s nothing better.” Amen to that, and to great colleagues who get you through the day.