Signing the Contract – STORIES FROM SCHOOL AZ
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These were my choices:
Check here if you accept your contract for the 22-23 school year_________
Check here if you DO NOT accept your contract for the 22-23 school year _______
This time I checked that I did not accept my contract for the 22-23 school year. I have been a classroom teacher for twenty-two years. The only reasons I have left previous teaching positions were due to moving to another city or staying home with my children for a short time. This is the first time I have not signed because I will not be returning to the classroom in a traditional sense next school year. I will become an instructional coach.
When I checked the box not to return to my district as a classroom teacher, I almost cried. I was filled with emotions I was not expecting. I was nervous, excited, sad, and hopeful. I absolutely love teaching kindergarten. I have been at my current campus for seven years. I have developed relationships and friendships with so many wonderful people. I will miss the people and the students I have worked with during my time in this district, but the opportunity to become a coach is not available at my current site or in my current district. I am getting out of my comfort zone and heading to a new school with new opportunities. The school I will be at has not had an instructional coach on campus in the past, so I look forward to assisting the administration in developing what this will look like on this campus. It will be challenging and exciting!
I have turned in my letter of resignation and checked the box to decline my contract. It feels so strange. People at school are asking me how I feel about it. The real answer is I am not sure yet. I am still teaching my students each day and will continue for the next nine weeks, but there is a feeling of excitement about what is to come for me. I wonder if I will enjoy being a coach as much as I enjoy being a classroom teacher. I am still dedicated to my current students, but I also go to school and start thinking about what I could pack up without being obvious about packing up. I tell people it doesn’t feel real yet. I am sure when my teaching colleagues return and start setting classrooms up, it will feel more real. It will be the first time in over twenty years that I will not have to set up the classroom and get ready for meet the teacher night. It is a jumble of mixed emotions.
Thankfully, I love working with students and working with teachers. I look forward to developing into a better coach and making a bigger impact on students by assisting teachers. I will miss several aspects of being in the classroom but working in a new role will help me to grow personally and professionally. Checking the box was difficult, but it was time to step out and try something new.
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