Part 3

So, there we were, three teachers with a lot more confidence than experience. We hit it off right away. Those early days of teaching were intense and exhilarating: we never got tired of talking about our lessons, our colleagues, and the 100 students we had in common. Conflict and drama nourished us as we negotiated the complex multi-tasking that our new career demanded; there were always kids that gave us trouble, activities that bombed or succeeded, stacks of papers that needed grading, or supervisors who observed us. Every day something amazing happened, and we were learning as much or more than we were teaching.

The next year, two more new members joined our team, tipping the configuration to 5 teachers with under 5 years experience and one veteran of 20 years. Oh, how time has changed my perspective on those days. Then, we chafed at the traditions and customs of the team, rolling our eyes at the same annual activities and bulletin boards and resenting the tyranny of seniority. Our favorite question was, "why," first asked only in the privacy of our own conversations, but inevitably leaking into our team meetings, too. I tried to be diplomatic rather than challenging as I assumed the role of spokesperson for the newer teachers, but we got caught up in the politics of the situation, once again fueled by the drama, and we often spoke wistfully of how things would be different, if only we were in charge.

more to come