Teaching has definitely changed over the past few years and only so much can be blamed on COVID. The range of student’s academic abilities has continued to broaden, making teaching even more difficult. In my 10th year teaching at this school, the 2022-23 school year began as any other with similar challenges. I worked well with my teammate, and I loved the staff at the building as well. Having colleagues you enjoy teaching with makes your days much easier! My administrator was someone that I got along with and had built a relationship with. She supported me in teaching and handling difficult students in my classroom. She had an open-door policy so if we had any questions or concerns about anything, to pop in and chat. Due to my classification role and length of tenure, performance/evaluation reviews were completed every three years, and this year was my year!

I think it was in February, after completing my formal evaluation, during a meeting with my principal, I told her I had no plans on moving anywhere as I loved the school and the people I work with. I know the students can be a challenge, that’s a given over the past several years, but all was good.

Or so I thought.

The dynamics of my classroom were interesting, and not in a good way. There wasn’t a day that went by that I had other students telling the others to stop talking so I could teach. Yes, another student stood up and asked everyone to stop talking so I could do my job! There were frequent fights, although my students seemed to wait until either Art or Music to do this. I had a student that eloped. I had students who constantly disrupted everyone’s learning, making noises, hiding under the small group table at the back of the room, throwing things, and talking when they shouldn’t be. For example, I had a 3rd grader who didn’t know her letters and sounds and read 4 words per minute. Her frustration level in the classroom was very high, resulting in behavior problems (tantrums) and sleeping with her head on her desk. Another student was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (not uncommon), oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), not to mention others who didn’t respect teachers, authority, and adults in general, including their parents. It wasn’t my classroom management, as I have a structured classroom. I tried every tool/resource I had, including having Child Study Team members in my classroom such as the psychologist, speech pathologist, nurse, and counselor, to gather data and help me determine the best course of action to ensure learning happens in my classroom. And prayer. Lots and lots of prayer. I came home exhausted. I love teaching, but that was something that I wasn’t able to do anymore.

My husband’s friend’s wife teaches at a local community college and has suggested that I try that. That didn’t pique my interest, although the hours were appealing, and I wouldn’t be required to pass students who weren’t meeting the standards. She had heard that there would be a 3rd-grade opening in an adjoining school district the following school year. That got me thinking. I’m not able to do what I love most – teaching. Maybe it was time for me to look elsewhere? The process of applying for another district would be time-consuming, but it was worth a shot! I mentioned the opening to my teammate, who was to retire the following year, and although she said she didn’t want me to go, I needed to try. She was having almost an equally rough year as I was. I also started to look within my district. Amazingly, an opening was posted for a 4th-grade position at the school where my children once attended. It was a pure magnet school with a high structure and rigorous academics. It was also closer to home, cutting my commute time in half.

It was tough to go back to my principal and tell her that although I had said just a few weeks prior that I wasn’t going anywhere, things had changed. She didn’t want me to leave either, but she wanted me to be happy and would put in a high recommendation for me wherever I wanted to go. She acknowledged that the class I had that year was indeed a challenge. Bonus? She knew the principal of the magnet school and placed a call. Long story short, I interviewed and was offered the job at the magnet school. I never did hear back from the adjoining district after having applied.

It was tough saying goodbye. I was the first to leave, but many joined me. At the end of that school year, several other teachers either left to go to another school or a few left teaching altogether. Saying goodbye to the staff that I had worked with for a long time was difficult. I had to keep the tissues handy!

I believe God places people in our path for a reason. I loved where I was but don’t believe I was meant to be there anymore. An answered prayer, I started a new teaching journey this school year.