So, in case you have been waiting to hear how it turned out, the boy made it to school on time on the first day of school. Usually, the plan is for my husband to drop him off and then head to work which is conveniently situated between the school and our home, less than a 10-minute drive from either place.
But on the first day of school, I dropped off my son, in part because I wanted to get a picture, in part because I wanted to see how he would be interacting with classmates he hadn’t seen all summer, and in part I wanted to go because they were serving pastries.
I was not disappointed, on all counts.
Not only did I get a couple of pictures but the school administrator/ secretary/ former high school teacher/good friend of mine, was taking photos with a back-to-school prop she had crafted. She took a picture of my son and me.
Then he went to the picnic bench outside and started chatting with his classmates and looked like he was at ease. There was a time a couple of years ago when he wasn’t able to do that because of anxiety. It was nice to see him being himself.
Oh, and the pastries were good. They had those almond Danishes I don’t know the name of … yum.
As my son was setting up his desk and groups of kids and teenagers were wandering around, reacquainting with each other and the classrooms, I chatted with a woman who started teaching last year, which was the year I stopped teaching, so we’ve never worked together, but we see each other regularly at church and various functions.
I asked her how it was going and if she was ready to get back into teaching after summer break. She said she enjoys it and is happy for the opportunity to teach there.
I was really glad to hear that. Because over the years (although don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy teaching at the school), it got to where teaching was no longer the right fit for me.
A couple of the main teachers moved away and there was a need, so I kept with it probably longer than I otherwise would have. I don’t regret stepping in, but I was beginning to feel I was standing in a place that was not mine and I needed to take a step back so the right person or people would be able to step in.
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