The first day back to work after a 2-week break always brings a sense of dread, suspense, and anxiety. I end up dreaming about negative experiences and having potential nightmares where students act crazy in one way or another. Luckily today was a good day, the students being good on my first day back at Dale.
When the students are good, the job is worth it. This obviously brings me back to July 2011, where I worked at a summer camp at Waigenheim middle school. I taught film and math to students over the summer after busing 40 minutes from UCSD (I didn’t have at a car at that time). It was that positive experience that made me become a teacher in the first place, where I created innovative lessons for subjects I didn’t particularly care for. I’ll never forget how much the kids told me their gossip over the summer after only meeting me for about a week. Naturally, kids for some reason still tell me all their juicy drama, relationships, breakups, and other chisme. On my bad days with students, I try to remember these positive memories so that I can channel my energy in a meaningful way. Does that mean I’ll be able to teach for the next 30 years? Only time will tell….
