New Kids on the Block

“Boy, I’m glad that isn’t me anymore…”

That was my thought as I picked out a place to sit at a table among the new teachers this morning.  As introductions went around the room, they each expressed their excitement and anxiety about accepting new positions in the district.  I was glad to confess that I had been around for awhile and explain that after working as an instructional coach for two years I was returning to the classroom and volunteering to attend this session to keep up with the new math routines that have been implemented since then.   I remember well how it felt to be the “new kid in town”—sitting in an unfamiliar apartment, knowing no one, only venturing out to find the grocery store once in awhile.  What a challenge these new teachers face, moving to a new community and preparing to become part of a school district full of unfamiliar faces!  Even though that was twenty-two years ago for me, I can still remember the butterflies I felt at every turn.  What a relief to feel so much at home at this point in my career!

Or so I felt…until we plunged into a presentation filled with new methods for collecting and recording data, new structures for instructional time, and an unfamiliar website.  All of a sudden, I felt very “new” again myself!

It’s a never-ending cycle of gaining confidence and then struggling with more changes.  Thank goodness we have each other!  It makes all the difference.

I took one of the newbies out to lunch today.  Now she knows one more person along the way…