On Leaving... and Starting Somewhere New

At my school, a job change doesn't mean getting shuffled down the hallway, or getting a section of a course that you're unfamiliar with. It means going to work in a new building, with a different set of colleagues, a different work culture, and students with a different profile. The rhythm of your life changes. You don't see the same people every day or take the same way to work. The students -- they're different, but not so different. In fact, they're probably the easiest part of the transition, because students are students, no matter where they are. I think all of this change is what makes a significant portion of the staff at our school a little bit nervous come staffing time. We know that teams can be split up, and our day-to-day can look very different, regardless of the fact that we're still teaching the same English course, or whatever. 

In my teaching career, there's been a bit of a rhythm to these changes. I haven't been in one spot for longer than three years, and I actually like it that way (although you might find me feeling differently the exact moment it happens -- give me a day or two). I've been a part of several great teams, which always makes the leaving harder, but in the end a change has always let me grow. I remember the first time I was moved, I had thought to myself, no -- not yet, just let me have one more year doing this -- but once the bandaid had been ripped off (it really did feel a bit like that) I realized that as much as I liked the people I was working with, I needed to go. 

I have had years where I was itching to go somewhere new. When I needed the change so badly I was doing all that I could do to keep myself busy and interested in my job. I've also had years where I was ambivalent about a change -- I could have come or gone and either would have been easy. This time, the change is hard. But it's needed too -- and the longer I sit with it, the more I see it. I think that I would have been itching for that change again by now if we weren't in a pandemic. The uncertainty in the rest of the world and our day-to-day lives has occupied enough of my brain that I'm not getting bored as quickly, and learning how to teach effectively online has given me a bunch to think about this year. So, while normally, I think I would be feeling like, "what's next?", enough newness (thanks, pandemic) made it so that I was good being comfortable in my job, instead of looking for the next thing. 

When I think about learning from my job, something that I am very privileged to be able to do so much, the last couple of years have been an education I didn't know I was getting until I look back on it. I've had some fun flexing my teaching muscles using current practices, and pushing the boundaries with cross-curricular studies, but the biggest learning has been from being part of a team which has steadily turned into a well-oiled machine -- collaborative and innovative, and fun to be around. Of course, as always, I've also been taught by some inspiring students, who will always have a little piece of my heart. 

But now, I'm moving on. I have a new set of rules to learn, a new drive into work, and new people to work with. The newness and the possibilities are both exciting and nerve wracking. I am very much looking forward to the things I'll be doing and the people I'll be meeting, but it also will feel good later when I know where the bathroom is, and where I can put my coat. At this point, I feel both like I know what I need to do, and I have absolutely no clue, at the exact same time. But it's okay, because I've been here before, and I'll be here again. 

The good thing is, after a couple weeks, it's always fine. After you jump, you land.