We're coming up on the one month mark of my life as a teacher, and it feels like the adrenaline of a new year and new profession is wearing off.
That's not to say things have been rough, though - mercifully, the amount of time I need to spend prepping outside of work is minimal, and thus far has been manageable with grad school. Though I'm not loving the gym thing, nobody's hurt themselves yet. We're rolling. On the balance, there's a lot to be excited and happy about as month one draws to a close.
But during this past week, the reality of working in the inner-city has started to sink in. I witnessed a machete fight one afternoon, and the next morning heard an army of sirens racing down the block to attend to an officer-involved shooting.
All of this is a far cry to what I'm used to.
As the gears shift and we move into month two, I'm still cautiously optimistic about where I'm working. I like my job, on the whole, though there are a few details and particulars of my specific employer that the jury is still out on.
But this past week served as a worthwhile reminder to not take my own station in life for granted. As much as I look around my classroom and see students with promise, it's easy to look at others and feel like there's not much I can do. Logically, I knew this going in. But it's still something difficult to reconcile yourself with daily. Even more difficult to fathom is that, even for the kids that seem like they would excel in educational settings like what I'm used to, on the whole, they have more upward battles to fight than I ever did.
So, some food for though in the closing hours of what has been an incredible long weekend. Back to reality this week, then time to celebrate Thanksgiving.
There's lots to be thankful for, indeed.
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