Saturday, November 08, 2008

Day 2

Friday went even better than Thursday. I cried on the way to school after saying goodbye to Aliza, but managed to make it through the rest of the day without any tears. I also managed, for the first time in my nine year career, to leave by 4:00. Nothing like a little motivation in the form of a six month old to make me walk away from the piles the sub left behind, the papers that need to be corrected and the many curriculum binders that need to be reorganized after having two different people pawing through them.

I also felt a little more on top of my game curriculum-wise. Slightly more organized, not scrambling quite as much....I'm still not completely on top of everything, but I got through the many lessons I had to teach without feeling like I was totally winging it.

What struck me on Friday was how much effort it all takes. Not only teaching, but all of the many people you interact with. After six months having very limited adult contact, it feels a bit like culture shock to me. The nice part about all of this is that there are so many people who are so excited I am back. Interestingly, the people that I would least expect are the ones being the nicest- the ones who left me cards on my desk or in my mailbox, or came in for a welcome back hug. And the ones I thought would be first at my door barely even acknowledged my return. The flip side is that I don't have time for conversations anymore. Between planning, copying, correcting, emailing and pumping, there is very little room for long conversations.....plus, I feel a bit like a kid learning to ride a bike; a little unsteady when surrounded by so many people after months of my own thoughts and Aliza's chatter to keep me company. However, at the end of the day, what I walk away with is an amazing feeling of belonging. Of being respected and cared about. It really is a blessing to have so many people so excited just to see me again.....

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was very tough week for you.
GREAT JOB!!!!!!!
You did it! You made it through. You did it at home and you did it at work.
One step, one day at a time.
Don't hesitate to...Ask for help.
It WILL be hard and exhausting.
It's bound to get easier with practice.
Words of love from... Gram S

Keetha said...

Bravo! You sound great. I'm glad this week is behind you.

JaxMom said...

Glad it was better. I totally here you about being able to walk out "on time." Good luck next week.

Unknown said...

Yay! I'm happy it's already better -- and I have faith it will continue to head in that direction.

You know what they say about taking things one day at a time, one foot in front of the other, and all that jazz, right? There's a lot of truth in those words.