On Friday of this week, I was in a meeting at school where we were informed that 2 people had decided to leave our school midyear because they either weren't in agreement with the school's philosophy or because they were too exausted from the huge workload. This prompted our CEO to talk with all of us about our own personal goals and expectations for our work and personal lives. While my school is going through a bit of a reorganization, I was forced to look at my own commitment to the organization, and what my steps after this year might be.
I'm not going to lie. When I got this job, I was really excited mostly because I had a job in Chicago and was not going to have to commute. Since then, I've gone through a rollercoaster of emotions as I learned a ton, grew as a professional, and learned to somehow manage a workload that seems unmanageable. I was busy as a teacher last year, but nothing could have prepared me for this. We write our own curriculum, which adds atleast 10 extra hours of work for me each week. My kids all get an individualized prescription for what they need to learn in every subject, which adds a varying amount of work for me each week. Bottom line, teachers are busy... every teacher, everywhere, if they are doing their job the right way. When I started this job, I thought, "This will be great for a few years, but my ultimate goal is to get back to somewhere like I was teaching for my first year." Somewhere suburban, somewhere like I went to school.
Now, after this meeting I'm not so sure. I feel like I am busy, but that I'm really settling in. I have gotten really attached to my kids, and I can't imagine leaving their school. I enjoy this job, I'm growing as a professional and learning more than I thought I would. There might even be a chance to move into an administrative role in a few years. I like the freedom that a charter school allows for. I like working with people who are all dedicated to growing themselves to make their students' lives better. I think my thoughts on this job have gone from "This will be great for awhile..." to "This seems to be where I fit."
Obviously, my life will take turns that I'm not expecting, which ironically this job was. I truly enjoyed my life last year, and I truly am enjoying my life this year, so I am excited to see what happens.
But let's just say, I am MUCH more settled into this job than I ever planned on being.
love it.
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