I know I haven't been writing on this web site very much lately. I am still writing though. I am also still teaching and learning and living each day in a way that helps me find a balance which enables me to stay alive and when possible, thrive.
I love how the universe picks up on intentions from time to time and sometimes does the work for you. Take today, for example. I was thinking that I really needed some more hours each week to balance the budget, and then I got a call this afternoon asking me to take over a two-hour evening class from 6-8 pm for the next month. And it's in the Bronx! I haven't been back to the Bronx branch since I worked there from October to May of this year (not counting one day of substitutions a week or so later). The thing was, they needed me to start tonight. So I put on my tie (they don't make us wear ties in midtown. I haven't missed the ties) and took the familiar route to work.
The first person I saw upon climbing the stairs was the janitor, who immediately gave me a fist bump, which he does to pretty much all of the teachers, but I'm happy he recognized me and was happy to have me back. That appeared to be the sentiment of most people there, from the receptionists to, most importantly, my old angel of a supervisor.
Teaching the class was easy, albeit different from what I've been doing in midtown lately. First, the class was 90% Spanish speaking, with almost all of the students coming from either the Dominican Republic or Mexico. Spanish is still the predominant language in midtown, but most of the speakers are from South American countries, as opposed to Central American or Caribbean countries. There were also individuals from Honduras and Panama tonight, but Yemen and Hungary broke the Spanish monopoly. Strangely, this morning I met my first student from Hungary, and then later met another student from Hungary the same day, but in the Bronx.
I enjoyed meeting the students and remembering the old commute. One year ago I was packing to move across the country, and in three weeks I will reach my one year anniversary. I haven't worked anywhere for a year straight in my entire life. I'm not worried about padding my resume, as I consider myself a writer more than a teacher, but I feel good about seeing something through.
Speaking of seeing things through, I am still working on publishing stories in book form for you.
And, as always, I'm living stories. I'll share some more tomorrow.
In more ways than one, it's good to be back.
I love how the universe picks up on intentions from time to time and sometimes does the work for you. Take today, for example. I was thinking that I really needed some more hours each week to balance the budget, and then I got a call this afternoon asking me to take over a two-hour evening class from 6-8 pm for the next month. And it's in the Bronx! I haven't been back to the Bronx branch since I worked there from October to May of this year (not counting one day of substitutions a week or so later). The thing was, they needed me to start tonight. So I put on my tie (they don't make us wear ties in midtown. I haven't missed the ties) and took the familiar route to work.
The first person I saw upon climbing the stairs was the janitor, who immediately gave me a fist bump, which he does to pretty much all of the teachers, but I'm happy he recognized me and was happy to have me back. That appeared to be the sentiment of most people there, from the receptionists to, most importantly, my old angel of a supervisor.
Teaching the class was easy, albeit different from what I've been doing in midtown lately. First, the class was 90% Spanish speaking, with almost all of the students coming from either the Dominican Republic or Mexico. Spanish is still the predominant language in midtown, but most of the speakers are from South American countries, as opposed to Central American or Caribbean countries. There were also individuals from Honduras and Panama tonight, but Yemen and Hungary broke the Spanish monopoly. Strangely, this morning I met my first student from Hungary, and then later met another student from Hungary the same day, but in the Bronx.
I enjoyed meeting the students and remembering the old commute. One year ago I was packing to move across the country, and in three weeks I will reach my one year anniversary. I haven't worked anywhere for a year straight in my entire life. I'm not worried about padding my resume, as I consider myself a writer more than a teacher, but I feel good about seeing something through.
Speaking of seeing things through, I am still working on publishing stories in book form for you.
And, as always, I'm living stories. I'll share some more tomorrow.
In more ways than one, it's good to be back.
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