I imagine (and hope) that I will not feel the intense rush of time obligations in this new vocation, as I do now, working 11-hour days and then trying to cram in dinner, dish washing, laundry, and lunch packing afterward. What a joy it will be to come home before the sun has set. What a gift it will be to step outside into the sunshine with my new baby and savor this world slowly with him or her, instead of having my eye on the clock as I try to do more than I should before my next class of teenagers comes in.
What a blessing it will be to actually CLEAN this house and find the time to exercise, pray, and walk the dog. The luxury of making a telephone call to a trusted girlfriend will once again be a reality. I feel like that joy has been rare since my career began 11 years ago!
This Summer, there are no masters classes that I still need to attend. This Summer, I will not have to work through a supervisory or doctoral program, as I originally planned. Yes, this Summer will be different.
All that hard work...that kept me up late at night during the college years...and all that stress that I felt in my chest as I went through student teaching and the defense of my thesis...and all the hours upon hours that I have given my students by staying in my classroom and working late into the evenings...all of this has paid off and all of this is coming to an...END.
I am on the brink of beginning a new life, and I can hardly believe it. No longer will I be grading papers, making PowerPoint presentations, attending parent meetings, and re-designing lesson plans. Gone will be the days of preparing for principal observations or classroom filming for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. My low heels and nylons will be temporarily retired, and my dresses and blouses will be replaced by an apron and T-shirts with spittle stains on them.
My metaphorical sleeves will still be rolled up, but my hard work will look different than ever before. My hair will get messy as my focus will be on diapers to change and supper to cook. And the focus of eyes will shift from having 30 sets on me at any given moment to finally...mine on just one.
There are only 35 days left for me to teach. That's two more intense chapters for pre-algebra and three more chapters for my math students. I can hardly believe it, as I'm so wrapped up with my present routine and obligations.
But when the last day is here in just 7 weeks, I think I am going to cry.
