2000-08-28
First day of high school again, posted at 23:40:07
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com My apologies for the infrequent updating. My computer keyboard is on the fritz, and my new building is no longer ethernet ready. I'm in the office computer, and really exhausted.Today was the first day of school. I am teaching a tenth grade literature class, two speech classes, and two advanced composition classes. In the 10th grade class, we're starting with "The Crucible," which I've never read but am excited about because Winona Ryder stars in the most recent movie version. In the 12th grade classes (advanced comp), we're starting with "A Separate Peace," which I'm even more excited about because it's one of my all time favorite books.
Today was great. My CT (Coordinating Teacher) is wonderful, and the kids were great. The school I am in is 40% white, 24% African American, 20% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 3% Native American - very diverse. It's sort of inner city, at least as inner city as mid-Michigan gets.
Today was enthralling. I am more sure than ever that teaching is what I want to do. My yearlong internship is going to turn me into a great teacher, I can feel it. I already feel miles more confident than I did as a Senior last year.
My job in the dorms as an Assistant Director is making me feel old, but it's still a lot of fun. I'm feeling old today because I saw Matt Hamlin - he recognized me. He's living on the floor above mine (in all honestly, I don't really live on a floor, but in the lobby). He graduated with my sister, in 1999, and is the younger sibling of a fairly good friend of mine from high school (relatively speaking, of course... I had maybe four good friends in high school... this is one that I haven't spoken with in a couple of years). Anyhow, seeing how old he was - he was smoking, even - made me feel even older than I am. I figure he was born in 1980. The kids I'm teaching in high school are born in 1983 or so. Yup, I'm feeling old.
My CT has been teaching five decades now (60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and 00's). Isn't that amazing?
The joy that my first day of school has brought sees me eyeing the future more than ever. Where will I get my first job? Will I hit the east coast, settling in Boston or NY for a bit? Or how about the South, where Austin, TX and Phoenix, AZ beckon? Or how about the west, where the high cost of living of San Francisco calls. Or even Seattle. Or will I find myself wanting to stay in Michigan next year, or even a less drastic change, like Chicago or Columbus? I dunno. The nation is my open road.
I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited about school, and now I'm exhausted and rambling. The priorities of my life have changed drastically in the last five months. I'm now seeing myself as finally emerging into what I want to be. I'm happier than I can ever remember being. Chapters of my life are ending while tons more open. It's wonderful.
My, it's starting to get a bit sappy in here, isn't it? Time to depart, I suppose.
Just to leave you with a jagged little pill to go along with all the fun stuff, I'll let you know my financial difficulties are really pissing me off right now. I feel like my parents cut me off way too early and at the worst possible time - when my financial aid was cut off. I still owe hundreds of dollars from my summer term. It sucks. I feel like someone is choking me. I keep hoping no one notices I haven't registered for classes yet (I can't because I have a hold on my account... I'm hoping my financial aid that I will finally be getting soon will come and swoop me away to financial security).
But, overall, life is grand. I couldn't ask for anything more.