At twenty-two, I was a fresh-faced college graduate, thrilled to be headed to Houston for my first teaching job. I had seen Dangerous Minds and Dead Poet’s Society, so I knew teaching would be hard. Thanks to these movies, I fully expected to introduce my inner-city/poor rich kids to the importance of literature. Shortly after that, they would all discover the beautiful meaning of their lives.
And they would have me to thank.
Ha.
In my years at Lutheran South, the kids and faculty taught me much more than I taught any of them. The rascally kids taught me patience. The sweet, smart kids modeled grace when they realized they knew more than I did. The at-risk kids told me what a scary place this world is when you don’t have a loving home or friends. All my classes taught me how fun and silly teaching can be.
Most of all, I learned from South’s faculty. The group of veteran teachers demonstrated day-in and day-out what teaching looks like when it’s a call. From them, I learned to put so many hours into teaching. During those years, Mike had a really good job with a big consulting company, making twice as much money as me. In his free time, he helped me with the hours of grading and lesson-planning that kept me up late most nights. Those veteran teachers were brilliant, hard workers. They could have been making much more money in another profession, but, then, who would teach these kids?
Twelve years ago, when I decided to write full-time and have a family of our own, I happily walked away from working a zillion hours a week. I knew I would miss the kids and teachers at South, but I didn’t realize how much. The first few years away were hard. I missed everyone–but I had moved on, so there was no looking back.
Friday night Mike and I attended South’s annual Gala with some friends. For me, this was a little like homecoming. Or the class reunion I’ve never had (thanks a lot, Ball High.). After twelve years, three moves, a few books, and four kids, I could revisit the school and people who had taught me so much.
The night was a fun whirlwind of catching up with those (now, even more) veteran faculty members. It was exciting to see the small school I left had grown into a huge success, thanks to that dedicated faculty.
That night, with visions of old friends and conversations still swimming in my head, I couldn’t sleep. I took a long time to get ready for bed as I thought about the reasons I had left teaching and what I had learned these past twelve years.
Here’s what I came up with…
1. Motherhood and teaching are both hard. Days in the classroom are filled with tardy bells and lesson plans and tests. They have much more structure. Motherhood is hard because it’s so surprising. Even when you have a schedule, it goes out the window when you look at your daughter, see she suddenly looks twelve, and you realize that you need to soak up every minute with her. When that happens, you throw out the schedule for the day and go to the beach.
2. Writing is so lonely. Maybe this is appealing for some people, but I miss being part of a team. Especially an awesome team. If you work with people you like and respect, that is no small thing. Cherish it.
3. Kids and the Texas sun give you wrinkles. As I washed my face that night before bed, I made a decision. Before I go back for the next Gala, I’m improving my skin-care regimen with a lot more SPF.
Nice Selfie!