The Next Horizon

My summer has officially started, so of course it's raining today and projected to stay wet for a week. At least the tortoise and I got out in the sun yesterday afternoon.

I checked out of my classroom on Monday, complete with turning in my keys and computer. Packing up last week went smoothly, but now I have boxes cluttering my living room, a regular reminder of the uncertainty that permeates my professional life. I went in yesterday to help with the first of three days of materials exchange - we gave kids the items that were left in their lockers and had a checklist of items to collect from each student. Only a handful of my former students came through, but it was great to see them. Bittersweet for sure, but great.

After our shift checking in materials, I went out to lunch with a former co-worker. She and I were both let go in the budget shortfall that the school was facing before the COVID crazy. She started her job search for other school positions immediately. I hesitated to apply for teaching jobs farther than a 30 minute commute, and instead put in applications to non-profits, big tech companies, and any other non-classroom position I found online that looked like I had the proper skills to be considered. She found a job at another private school back in April. I began applying to schools over the weekend, and still don't know what's next for me.

I am genuinely excited about each of the positions for which I submit applications. But after 10 weeks of either hearing nothing or, "We've decided to move ahead with other candidates," I've become disenchanted with searching for jobs outside the classroom. It isn't that I wanted to walk away from teaching. But I thought being nonrenewed just a few weeks after coming to believe I was in a position, in a building where I could stay for a couple of decades to finish my teaching career might be a sign.

Then again, COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests might be a sign. They certainly are a much bigger deal than my job search woes. Both also have huge potential to completely change entrenched paradigms. In December I started thinking about writing a book based on my foster parent experiences. It would touch on both educational opportunities and institutional bias in ways connected to the current world situation, but with a totally different lens. The question is, am I emotionally ready to tackle the content?