When I first started teaching, I pictured myself driving
into the suburbs through greenery and past parks, tennis courts and well kept
houses with white picket fences. I imagined I would walk into the school and
see smiling faces, ready to give me a big hello and welcome. I imagined I would
have a moderately sized class, around 20 or 22, half boys, half girls whose
work would give me the perfect bell curve.
I was wrong. Instead, my life in education is vastly
different than I ever could have imagined. Growing up, I heard that the greater
the work, the bigger the reward. God, I hope that is right.
I initially chose teaching because I believed it would be a
great fit with my life as a mother of two beautiful boys. I could work a 7-8
hour day, including travel time and be home in time to make a healthy and
delicious dinner. I might even be able to pick my kids up from school.
My day begins at 8:30pm the night before. I take my shower,
lay out clothes (both for myself and my kids), I pack lunches (for myself and
for my 4 year old who is in preschool) and pack backpacks (also both for myself
and my 4 year old.) I also take some meat out of the freezer to make for dinner
the following night.
I am in bed by 9 and asleep by 10 (assuming my kids are
asleep. If one is sick or having trouble sleeping, I am up too). You might be
wondering why I am doing this all on my own. My wonderful, amazing partner in
crime, my husband Wesley, works night for TSA at Logan Airport. He is the
ultimate dad – works nights, goes to school and takes care of our two boys
while I work. Oh and he also runs a photography company as a side job. More later on
how little I see my husband and how we make that work!
When my alarm clock goes off at 4:30, I try very hard not to
wake Wes who only came home from work 4 hours prior to that. I also try very
hard not to wake the kids who share a room right next to mine. I quickly wash
up, dress and am downstairs and out the door by 5.
I walk swiftly to the train station (only a few hundred
yards from my house). I always have just enough time to buy a coffee and wait for the 5:13 am train.
I arrive in the inner city, just outside of Boston, by 6:05am. The inner city where I work is less than 2 square miles and has a major poverty epidemic. I step
off the train and am hit in the face with a wall of stink—trash. The train
station here smells like trash. I walk past some freshly painted graffiti from the
night before which only covers old graffiti. It is still dark, so I walk very
quickly to the school, which is very close to the train station. I walk under
the highway overpass on my way.
I am in my classroom by 6:15, one hour and 10 minutes before
the students arrive. This is how I like to do my prep work. The building is
quiet (except for the security guards doing their rounds and the principal and
vice principal in their offices, custodians, plus a few teachers). I whip around the room
planning for the day.
Promptly at 7:25 the early bell rings and a barrage of
students clamber up the stairs from the cafeteria where many of them have just
had breakfast. I watch as my students enter the classroom, one by one. I very rarely get a smile from them this early in the day. Until
all 3 are in the room. Yup, 3. I teach
an alternative middle school program. I teach students who haven’t been successful in the
mainstream classroom and need alternative teaching methods, one on one and
sometimes, a probation officer.
The blocks we teach are 63 minutes long and the students are
with my assistant and me most of the day. At some point, I have a team meeting
while the students are with another teacher. The meeting is comprised of
myself, two other teachers, two paraprofessionals, a social worker, an
outreach coordinator and the director of our program who is also a social
worker (clinician). The members of the team have fewer teachers than social
workers … even the two paras are social work students (BTW they are amazing).
At 11:30, I go to lunch – I get 25 minutes. I usually eat in
my classroom to allow me some quiet time to decompress. Some view this as
anti-social and that it makes me unapproachable. But I feel I would be very
difficult for my team and students to be around if I didn’t have that time to
myself.
During my lunch, I call home and talk to my husband and 4
year old, and now my family members have started putting the phone up to the
ear of my 11-month old so he can hear my voice. Not being home when they
wake up is a huge adjustment. This is the first job I have had where I leave
before the kids get up.
The students are dismissed at 3:36pm. I quickly clean up,
shut down my computer and rush to make it to Dunkin Donuts before my 4:12 train
home. I make it home around 5:15, and immediately get in my car and go pick up
my kids. If I am lucky, my mom invites us to stay for dinner. If not, I pick
them up, go home by 5:45 and get dinner together (FYI: The crockpot has become
my best friend!!)
After dinner, I dump plates in the sink and take my two boys
up for a bath. This is my favorite time of day. They LOVE having a tubby! We
splash, play, color on the walls, and scrub the long day off. Then it’s
pajamas, playtime for 30 minutes and bed for my munchkins.
Then comes the rounds of “mommy, I need some water” or
“mommy, will you lay with me?” or “mommy, are you going to leave without me?”
My poor 4 year old has been having anxiety at bedtime, knowing when he wakes in
the morning I won’t be there. I believe he will adjust and having his dad home
every morning has been helpful for the transition.
Once the kids are settled and hopefully asleep, I start all
over again!! It’s a long, tiring day, but I believe the rewards that will come
throughout the year will be worth it...at least, I hope!
