Oh, my dear readers, it has been a while since I've actually sat here and wrote. The past 6 months have been deep soul searching months for me. As some of you know, I was in grad school, working towards my M.A. in Education. I hit some bumps in the road, brought on by my own self. I wasn't sure if this was the right fit for me. The current education model in this country needs some work. I'm not going to spend my time explaining my thoughts on this, as it will take me too long and quite frankly, it is incredibly complex. However, I was not sure if I could successfully teach in a system so driven by test scores, we are starting to forget that we are actually teaching human beings, who need more than scripted instruction. So, I decided to get a job in the public school system. Now, I am no stranger to the system, I've been in and out of public schools since my freshman year in college, but things have drastically changed since then. The changes were painfully obvious to me my first few months and to be honest, I wasn't sure I'd fit in to the system. I took a break from school, dug my heels in the sand, and spent many a sleepless nights trying to figure out what the hell to do. And here is the thing: from as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a teacher and I just can't turn my back on that, no matter how much fixing needs to be done. Because, my friends, it always comes back to the kids. I have a box in the back of my closet filled with letters from former students that on my worst days, I pull out and read. Those misspelled words, the horrible handwriting, and the ripped paper are the reasons why I've done this and will continue to do this, it has NOTHING to do with summers off. I recently received a letter from a student I work with who is so very challenging that read, "thank you, Mrs. Grant, for caring. I know you care about me." Because, my friends, being a teacher is not just about geometry and syllables, it is about caring. If I could, I'd hug that tough little guy and thank him for reminding me that this is indeed my life's work and no matter what, I'm not turning my back now. Rather, I'm forging ahead.
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