Today was my first trip to Maple Glen Elementary School as a "visitor." I was no longer that third grade teacher out for the year on child-rearing leave. With Daniel in tow, I entered the building with mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. I was eager to see my former colleagues and catch up on everyone's lives, but I was unsure about the reception I would get. Have I overstayed my welcome? Am I no longer relevant to those individuals I once commiserated with on a daily basis? Or would this reunion be warm and nostalgic, leaving me feeling sad to leave but satified with my decision to resign my position and stay home with Daniel?
For the most part, people were pleasantly surprised to see me. They asked about life on the outside and commented on how big Daniel had grown. Daniel behaved beautifully, batting his eyelashes at the ladies and goofing around with the men. We ran into a couple of my former students, though most of them have now moved on to the middle school. The students who were in my class the year I was pregnant with Daniel are now in 5th grade! They are so big! It really hit me how much time has passed since I was actually teaching. A year and a half seems like a lifetime ago.
Many things have remained constant. I will always get a warm reception from some people and a chilly one from others. The friends I had when I taught at Maple Glen are still my friends. Though we may go months without contact, we can pick up where we left off as if only days have passed. My third-grade colleagues will always be like family to me. We've seen each other through annoying staff meetings, PSSA stress, high maintenance parents, difficult students, and even relationship troubles and medical crises. That school will always hold a special place in my heart, but it's the people I miss most on a random Monday when Daniel is asleep, the house is quiet, and I yearn for some adult interaction.
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