Some days things just fall in to place. Apparently, some years (for teachers) do that as well. I've always heard teachers refer to those years, meaning the wrong kids in the wrong class with the wrong teacher. I may be at the beginning of one of those years, but in a totally different manner.
In around my 5th year of teaching, I hit my stride. I felt like things were really falling into place and I actually knew what I was doing. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a bad teacher to begin with. I had a particular gift in dealing with students. But if I had known then what I know now, I would have hit my stride a long time ago. During my 4th and 5th years teaching, I was hot. I had a gift.
And then I left the classroom.
I was given the opportunity to train to be a high school literacy coach. This opportunity involved leaving the classroom, but also involved a free education specialist degree. That is nothing to shake a stick at. So, despite the fact that I only wanted to teach, I left the classroom to become my high school's literacy coach. And I lost my stride.
The good thing about being a literacy coach is that I get to help my colleagues become better teachers. The bad thing is that all of a sudden students don't know who you are. You are just some lady in an office who comes in their classes every now and then. Those relationships that I had cultivated for years? Gone. They don't tell you that before you sign up to be an instructional coach.
I'm now at the beginning of my third year back in the classroom. This year is unique because I am both a coach and a classroom teacher. I can feel my legs stretching as I start to hit that stride again. One student told me that she loved the amount of choice she had in my class. We've had deep conversations where I've told students how much I value their opinions. Students have told me that they enjoy how "deep" the class is.
It feels good to be back where I was six years ago. It doesn't hurt that coaching gives me time to personally reflect on my own practices, which I didn't do much of the last two years. I'm starting to feel like I've got it.
