Today the "school train" left the station. A former colleague described the school year this way, that teachers & students board the train in September and there is no getting off until June. True, we may have vacations and days off scattered throughout the year, but we continue to chug along at relative full speed.

Today was the first day in my new position. I am trying to follow my own directions, and listen twice as much as I speak. So far, I have mostly been hearing about the teacher who was in my position before. While people have spoken favorably about this individuals work with the students, the feedback I have heard hasn't been particularly positive regarding interactions with other staff members. I try to nod and smile, and then redirect the conversation.

So I feel like I have a bit of a mountain in front of me, because I am inheriting a position that was regarding rather negatively. I am trying not to let it get to me though,...

To be honest, I'm a cliche. I was the kid who made her younger brothers do every page in those ridiculous educational workbooks that my mother would buy for us. I read to my stuffed animals every night before bed. I have lived and breathed teaching since I was a toddler. And when I turned 16 and it was time to start working, I chose to work at a local elementary school at their after school program. My plan, upon heading off to college, was to major in Elementary Education. I was pretty sure I had it all figured out.

But the world works in mysterious ways. As a freshman, my Elementary Education adviser handed me a piece of paper and said, "Here's your schedule for the next 4 years," and I balked. No studying abroad, no class choices... So instead, I majored in psychology and minored in Special Education. Because truthfully, the kids who needed the most help were the ones I wanted to work with most. But I could see the writing on the wall -- Special Education...