Just Getting Started

The school year has taken off like a storm and while I absolutely love teaching, times in the classroom sure have changed. This is my sixteenth year in my school district. When I first began teaching, all I wanted to do was make it to year five. Statistics show that many teachers who chose to leave the field do so within the first three to five years. So, getting to year five was my goal.

The past eleven years seem to have gone by in a flash and now all I want to do is make it to twenty-one. After a very stressful and challenging school year last year, I made up my mind that twenty-one was going to be my max. I figured that is a good round number. A good amount of time put in with one company. However, if for some reason an opportunity should arise prior to my August 2026 quit date, well, twenty-one could be seventeen, eighteen, nineteen or twenty!

I was talking with a co-worker just today about all of the many changes happening in our school district and she mentioned that a friend of hers, who is also a teacher in the district, decided that this coming Friday was going to be her last day. Stories like that are hard to hear. On one hand, I know that when one leaves, the work becomes more challenging for those that choose to stay. On the other hand, I totally understand.

I have no idea what the future holds. I also have no idea what I plan to do after I leave teaching. Currently, I am promoting my book, doing speaking engagements, getting certified in yoga instruction through coursework at Breathe For Change and getting certified in Women's Ministry through coursework at Moody Bible Institute. While I do have a lot of irons in the fire, I know that all of them will positively impact what ever comes my way in the future.