bogartscience

I recently began a new job that requires me to commute. I drive an hour every morning to work, and an hour every afternoon to go home. It is a lovely drive, with few stoplights, through a canyon along a river. In the morning I view the sunrise over a lake and I am reminded of the beauty of nature and my place in the universe. I am really enjoying my new job. The positive atmosphere is refreshing, and the professional respect is something that I have yearned for. Taking a new job was a decision that I did not make quickly or take lightly. Knowing that I would be an hour away from my family in an emergency was a real fear that weighed heavily on my decision. Nonetheless, I did decide to start commuting. And then on the first day of the teaching year, my town caught on fire. I received a phone call just as I entered my car to drive home, excited to pick up my son from his first day of first grade, ready to take all of those "first day" photos that I could not take in the

It's hard being the new kid again. I have been a science teacher for 13 years now, teaching for my previous district for the past 7 years. And now, I have taken a huge professional leap, left my cozy job, and have become the "new kid" again. My new district is much larger than anything that I am used to, which I hope will give me the opportunity to grow and advance. My goal is to be a science curriculum specialist or coordinator, positions that were not available in my previous little district. This past week I have attended new staff orientation, where I have been surrounded by new teachers, young teachers, intern teachers, fresh-faces, unwrinkled, perky, motivated, ready-to-change-the-world teachers. It was awesome. It was energizing. It was exactly what I needed. Don't get me wrong, I love being a teacher, and I am excited and enthusiastic every year for the awesome learning that happens in my classroom. But, I must admit, this new district is so large that it ca