Fall Break

One of the many perks of a teaching career are the vacation days. Anytime the students have days off, the faculty does as well.

Which brings us to this past weekend and first few days of the week. I've spent my time off for Fall Break lounging around my parent's house feeling very much like a college kid visiting for the weekend eating my parent's food, using their washer, and sleeping in my childhood twin bed.

My favorite sort of trip is a weekend trip. It's just long enough to throw yourself fully into an adventure involving any combination of the following things: getting horribly lost, indulging in very little sleep, drinking too much, eating too much, meeting new people, catching up with old people, etc. etc., but has you happily back home before you tire of over-indulgence. I'm feeling well rested (mentally, if not in the literal sense) and rejuvenated and ready for a return to boarding school living.

So ready, in fact, that I spent a very solid amount of time looking slightly crazy at the local coffee shop choreographing for my class and company. I'd forgotten how challenging it is to create movement seated, in a public place, without moving too much. None the less, I soldiered on and completed all of my work for the rest of the week, leaving my evenings once I return to school blissfully free (not that my particular area of study really requires extensive amounts of diligent preparation - thanks, dance!)

Having a long weekend away from the fishbowl gave me time to sit back and assess how I feel about my job. Here's what I've concluded:

While I, of course, have some issues with the politics of the school and wish I had the power to tweak a few things within my department particularly, I'm extremely lucky to wake up every day and NOT feel like I'm going to work. I love my classes and my students and teaching and all of that far outweighs my other issues. For now, at least.

I know that this is not a particularly linear blog so far; I've left out bits and pieces of ideology and full anecdotes that might give more insight into the life. Those will come, certainly. I've felt overtired and uninspired since I started this thing. Break has, as I said, given me a pulse of energy, which, I hope carries with it some creative inspiration to somewhat eloquently and endearingly tell the tale of this year.

Now it's time to continue the sweat pant-ed lounging and end this wildly erratic little post.

Much Delayed

Autumn has a way of causing nostalgia flare-ups for me. Despite the fact that, like every other Fall I've experienced in my adolescent and adult life, I'm on an academic campus running around in scarves and coats attempting to stay on top of my schedule, this feels wildly different.

It is different. I'm no longer a student. I'm a teacher.

It still sounds strange to say that, despite the fact that I've been here for two months, wearing my name tag that proudly declares me "Ms. Jackson" on a daily basis. I still feel young and uncertain. Nervous. Full of wanderlust. Nostalgic.

Drawers and shelves in my old bedroom in my parent's house hold many a started and quickly abandoned journal. I grow bored and unsatisfied very quickly, I'm afraid. I'm hoping that the more public nature of a blog with possible readers will shame me into continuing to document this year. I've been told I'll learn many new (and generally unexpected things) and that I'd better write them down so that I don't miss them as they happen.

What have I learnt so far?

- Boarding school education is so wildly different than public school education. The kids here are at once much more independent than I was as a high schooler, but infinitely more confined. They'll never know the joys of a snow day spent watching movies at a friend's house, or driving around late at night, holding hands with a boy, or trying to transform the truly and unfortunately reliable looks of the gym into a pirate ship or a casino or a beach for Prom or Homecoming, because every minute of every day is scheduled and supervised, literally right down to the socks they're allowed to wear. I suppose I missed out on things (mainly academic in nature) by not attending boarding school, but I don't feel like I missed out on any opportunities because of it.

- All that said, the boarding school block schedule is fantastic. I teach at 8:30AM twice a week, and beyond that never have to be anywhere before noon.

- Living in two motel rooms will be a good story one day. I hope.

- Dining Hall food does not improve with age.

- The biggest issue I have with teaching has everything to do with school politics and nothing to do with the students or the classroom.

My age and newness to this school and town (population: 1200) occasionally makes me feel like I'm living in a fish bowl, with every action and inaction being carefully scrutinzed, discussed, and judged by various members of the community. I'm hoping that the longer I'm here without incident the more I'll feel like an insider and less the new dance teacher with (fill in the blank: a tattoo, a swearing problem, innappropriate dining hall attire, cats, etc.) Time will tell.