Packing and moving in any situation is stressful, but packing up and moving a classroom is a whole other animal. I taught my first four years in a wonderful district in Ohio, and recently made the terribly difficult decision to take a job in New York City. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for one of the top 13 most creative schools in the WORLD! As if packing up and moving my own home a 10 hour drive away wasn’t enough, it also means that I have to clear out and move my classroom. The day I went to clear it out my room, I thought to myself, “This shouldn’t be as bad as my house; I haven’t been teaching that long.” Very quickly I realized that was not the case. Between the craft supplies, trinkets from travels, books, papers, files, and the light-up red carpet, it took me 2 full car loads and 3 helpers to get moved out!
Moving schools is a challenging and emotional experience, but it also allows you to grow and be challenged professionally. Also, going through your classroom with such detail as you pack everything you have collected gives you the opportunity to refine, rethink, and renew your lessons. I found items I had forgotten about that I can use in a new way like my alphabet blocks which have been left untouched for 4 years. As I was cleaning out my room, my head with spinning with new ideas and seeing things in a new light. With my classroom library, I decided I want to try recording myself reading the books out loud in Spanish and attaching the files to QR codes leading to the MP3 file so that students can listen and follow along on their own. These are things I may not have thought of if I left everything in its place.
Consistency is comfortable, but it doesn’t challenge you. I still struggle and will continue to struggle with leaving my students, colleagues, administrators, and community in Ohio, but I have to remember that the ONLY guarantee in education is that in a few years, all of the students will move on and you will have new ones that will be just as inspiring. Colleagues, administrators, and community may or may not come and go, but students will always move on, as they should. Knowing that, it is a little bit easier to move on yourself and take a new position that offers new opportunities and presents new challenges. While I am very sad to be leaving, it is bittersweet, as I am SO EXCITED for this new opportunity in New York City!
Whether you are moving schools or not, I would highly suggest going through and looking, really looking, at what you have in your classroom- rearrange it, and it may just breathe some new life into a lesson. I also challenge you to follow dreams and constantly look for ways to challenge yourself professionally. I am setting out on the biggest adventure and professional challenge of my life. I cannot wait to take my innovative Spanish teaching methods to another state!
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