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Since it's unlikely that I'll shlep all the way back to NYC for the closing family day program, today was probably my last day teaching for the Interfaith Community- at least until after I get back from Israel. I totally wasn't thinking about it until just as we were finishing up teaching our second class for the day- and then it sort of hit me. Afterwards, talking with my co-teacher and our boss, it certainly did. My co-teacher and I have taught together for two years now, in which we've had classes that covered, between them grades K-5 (in sections: grades k-1, 1-2, K-4, and 4-5, although not all of those both years), and especially driving home together this year, we've had some really good and interesting conversations, well outside of what we teach. (Today we talked about how parents react to their own upbringing, and how their kids can react to the parents' reactions, and about feminism among other topics.)
And my boss- well, she's been very supportive and very put-together and focused in a way that really impresses me, especially since she's a volunteer (she's the chapter co-ordinator, and running the religious school program is just one of the things that she does- and she manages to direct a staff of paid teachers without any weirdness about us being paid and her doing this as a labor of love. I'm sure that it helps that she has an advanced degree and is not working for pay currently, but still, she impresses me.) and not a professional educator. She also has run really solid and useful teachers' meetings that don't feel like a waste of time. Perhaps that's the advantage of working in such a small program, but well- I've also taught for another chapter of the same organization, and there there was no such organization and the sorts of events that we sit down, plan and run at this location were disorganized and Strange.
I really am going to miss my kids. This is the first time in quite a while where I've been teaching somewhere for a couple of years in a row, and combined with it being such a small program, I've really seen my kids grow significantly over the last two years. They really are, over all, good kids, and I've really enjoyed being with them. It helped that my older kids, who are normally quiet to the point of being silent, were very thoughtful and even talkative enough to ask a bunch of Really good questions, this time. It was a really wonderful way to close a school year. I'm really proud of them, and I even got to say so. It was a good closing moment for me.
We'll see what my life and schedule look like when I get back from Israel- but I could see myself going back to this job pretty reasonably. It would be weird teaching with a different co-teacher, since my co-teacher is really finding herself too busy with a real full-time job these days to take on this job as well again, but it might be worth it. I'm not making any real predictions at this point, but it is nice to feel like there's a job that I'm leaving because I'm leaving the area, not because I don't want the job anymore.
And my boss- well, she's been very supportive and very put-together and focused in a way that really impresses me, especially since she's a volunteer (she's the chapter co-ordinator, and running the religious school program is just one of the things that she does- and she manages to direct a staff of paid teachers without any weirdness about us being paid and her doing this as a labor of love. I'm sure that it helps that she has an advanced degree and is not working for pay currently, but still, she impresses me.) and not a professional educator. She also has run really solid and useful teachers' meetings that don't feel like a waste of time. Perhaps that's the advantage of working in such a small program, but well- I've also taught for another chapter of the same organization, and there there was no such organization and the sorts of events that we sit down, plan and run at this location were disorganized and Strange.
I really am going to miss my kids. This is the first time in quite a while where I've been teaching somewhere for a couple of years in a row, and combined with it being such a small program, I've really seen my kids grow significantly over the last two years. They really are, over all, good kids, and I've really enjoyed being with them. It helped that my older kids, who are normally quiet to the point of being silent, were very thoughtful and even talkative enough to ask a bunch of Really good questions, this time. It was a really wonderful way to close a school year. I'm really proud of them, and I even got to say so. It was a good closing moment for me.
We'll see what my life and schedule look like when I get back from Israel- but I could see myself going back to this job pretty reasonably. It would be weird teaching with a different co-teacher, since my co-teacher is really finding herself too busy with a real full-time job these days to take on this job as well again, but it might be worth it. I'm not making any real predictions at this point, but it is nice to feel like there's a job that I'm leaving because I'm leaving the area, not because I don't want the job anymore.