It was official, after thirteen years of serving as a middle school Math teacher I would now be serving at an elementary school. I had mixed emotions about my new beginning. I was definitely happy to be away from my previous campus, but unclear about my path forward.

I had the opportunity to meet with my new Principal and discuss my role on campus. My official title was Student Assistance Interventionist. I was going to be over campus discipline, manage the campus 504 caseload, and co-chair the campus MTSS process. With a clear direction, I began to prepare for the quickly approaching school year.

As teachers began to arrive on campus to set up their classrooms, I made it a point to go to classrooms to introduce myself. This is going to be a great experience. Professional development week went well, but I was ready for the students to arrive.

The first few weeks were understandably quiet. Students and teachers were still getting to know each other. I spent a lot of time walking the campus to familiarize myself and several hours at lunch duty. I was able to meet and talk with several students, teachers, and parents during this time.

I’m not sure why, but there were some teachers that took a while to warm up to my presence. I did my best to communicate with parents and teachers and when handling discipline incidents, I did so using my knowledge of restorative practices. My presence eventually became wanted and appreciated by most staff.

By December, I had gotten into a groove. I was understanding the MTSS process better. I also became better at the 504 process. Discipline was a constant adjustment.

I did not think I would enjoy elementary this much, but I enjoyed getting to know students at different grade levels. I often went out to recess and could be found playing basketball or pushing students on our playground merry-go-round. I also began to get a sense of why some teachers were leery of the campus administration.

The next two school years were grueling. The school was being led by a new Principal, after the previous one was let go mid year. Teachers and other staff were not happy. There was not much to be happy about.

I applied for the Assistant Principal pool once again. Once again I was not selected. I was sad and frustrated because I was not getting the feedback I needed. Furthermore, I had no idea what I needed to improve on.

I stumbled upon videos that Principal Kafele posted on you tube. These videos provided more insight than I had ever received about what it meant to be a school leader. I began to study and prepare myself for the next phase of my career.

In early June I received a phone call to interview for a position at an elementary school. This was a chance for me to gain some administrative experience. I did not know what to expect and was unsure about moving to elementary.

The interview went well and I was beginning to warm up to the idea of serving at an elementary school. I was nervous about the new position and if I could be successful. I received a formal offer for the position a month later. There was no turning back now.

The following school year I taught seventh grade Math. Several of my former students were in my classes once again. This year was a bit different. We had over one thousand students on a campus built for nine hundred.

Teachers were asked to leave their rooms during their planning periods so that other teachers could use the room for their classes. Planning was extremely difficult. There was plenty of tension and frustration that year.

To top everything off, our former Principal had accepted another position. Our new Principal said all the right things before classes began, but quickly made a 180 once school started. Our school culture and climate took a serious hit.

That Spring I graduated from my Master’s program and passed my Principal Certification exam. I was another step closer to the next phase in my career. I began to apply for the Assistant Principal pool in the district.

I applied for the pool and was not selected. I was disappointed but still determined. Teaching was becoming frustrating because I wanted more. During this time I served as team leader but did not know much about leadership. I started to doubt myself and if I would be able to secure an administrative position.

Close to the start of the second semester I was notified that one of our sixth grade Math teachers was resigning. My Principal asked me to take over the teaching responsibilities for the teacher that resigned. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and accepted the assignment. There was just one thing that I was concerned about; I had just begun grad school.

It was a relatively smooth transition. I knew some of the students from my class from the first semester. Planning with my new colleague was going well. The challenge now was to make sure that students were receiving the instruction they deserved.

I must admit, there were times when my attention was divided. The challenge of teaching and completing my grad school assignments was a huge task. There were many late nights spent working on classroom things and completing required reading.

The rest of the school year was a success. I was able to build relationships with students, members of my team, and parents. My students performed well on their state required exam. I began to hear that one of the other Math teachers said that my former partner did a great job with the students in the class that I helped co teach the first semester.

This person was not the only one to discredit my work. I also overheard that the students that I had the second semester performed well on state exams because of the previous teacher that left in December. Wow, the things that were being said really upset me. There were some people that saw my hard work and dedication and gave me some validation. The nerve of some people…

The beginning phases of preparation were fine. The person I was co-teaching with was okay. He was a bit eccentric and loud but we both had the best interest of students at the forefront of our task. I was still feeling like this could work.

The first few weeks of the school year were good. Students were getting used to their new class and my partner and I were working well together. I still was not used to having to share a space all of the time. Things eventually started to become tense.

There began to be a bit of a power struggle. I felt as if my partner was trying to completely take over the instructional time during classes. He began to lead students through lessons much more than I did. This was not a major thing for me because I was able to provide support for students as they were working in class. I did, however, begin to feel as though my input was not valued.

My co-teachers habits begin to bother me even more over the next few months. The loud music and lack of cooperation began to wear on me. I would frequently spend my conference period walking around the perimeter of the building. I would think of possible solutions and pray for a change in my current situation. This was the first time in my educational career that I was unhappy.

I spent a lot of time thinking about ways to change my circumstances. I thought of applying for a transfer, applying for jobs in different school districts, and even going to grad school. My mind was all over the place and it began to affect me deeply. Something had to give.

I had a couple of successful years teaching sixth grade Math, then my world was rocked. My Principal at the time informed me of a new position. This decision came as a complete shock to me.

I was told that I would be co-teaching a class for the coming school year. I was used to having my own space, now I was going to be paired with another teacher!? Who was I going to be paired with and what was this new assignment all about? I was filled with frustration and feelings of uncertainty.

About two weeks before teachers were to report to campus for the new school year, I received an email from the Principal with details of my new assignment. I was going to be co-teaching a Math objectives class. The purpose of this class was to accelerate Math instruction for students that either failed their state Math assessment or barely passed. I felt somewhat better knowing what was going to be expected.

Once back on campus my co-teacher and I met with the Principal to get an idea of how the class would be structured. Students were assigned by grade level. We mapped out what objectives we would focus on and created pre and post tests for each grade level. We had a pretty solid plan in place.

I still had some reservations about what I was being asked to do. I met with the Principal to ask if there was something I did wrong that made him choose me to help teach this class. He assured me I had not done anything wrong and reinforced his confidence in me to help carry out his vision. This conversation helped to reframe my thoughts. Challenge accepted….

I received an email towards the middle of June about my teaching assignment for the 2011-2012 school year. I was assigned sixth grade Math. I was excited about the new opportunity and nervous about my new working environment.

My new campus was a twenty-five minute drive from my home as opposed to the ten minutes I was used to. The campus was more modern than the previous one, with more spacious classrooms. My new Principal was a Black male, not much older than myself, I was very excited about this. He was a fair man who had high expectations for teachers on the campus.

It was a little difficult in the beginning adjusting to new staff. Some people were friendly and helpful, while others were standoffish. I began to wonder just what I had gotten myself into.

The students were a bit different also. I had a large number of students in my classes that were strong academically. Of course there were some behavior issues and students that needed more of a push, but that’s on any campus. There was a difference in parents also. On my former campus I would rarely receive a phone call or email from a parent. At my new campus it was the norm to receive parent communication about test grades or missing assignments.

I enjoyed teaching my students and the academic learning that was occurring. I was also learning to communicate effectively with parents, a skill that was an area of opportunity for me. I began to settle in and enjoy my new surroundings.

I spent the next five years of my teaching career at the same middle school. I gained respect from my peers, students, and parents during this time. It was an enjoyable experience that continues to be a big part of who I am as an educator today.

I had the opportunity to teach sixth and seventh grade Math during the course of my time. There were several teachers that helped me along the way. Their willingness to share information with me and their belief in my skill set helped me to be successful.

I went on to become a grade level team leader which was an awesome experience. Being able to effectively lead a grade level of students and teachers gave me a huge sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I was also chosen to be part of a team to help write the sixth grade Math curriculum for the district.

I had the naïve notion that I would never leave this school. The school served the population of students that I loved working with and provided an environment for me to flourish. I was deeply entrenched and content.

A lot of uncertainty entered my world at the end of the school year in 2011. There were widespread talks of teachers being laid off. I was still a relatively new teacher having six years of experience. There were a few weeks that were filled with some anxious moments. Towards the middle of June I learned my fate……

My first teaching assignment was as an Accelerated Math Teacher. I had two sections of sixth grade Math, two sections of seventh grade Math, and one section of eighth grade Math. All of the students I taught either did not pass the TAKS test or they barely passed. I definitely had my work cut out for me.

I did not receive much help that year. I was assigned a mentor who was an experienced Math teacher, but I only had one conversation, if you could call it that, with her the entire school year. I dedicated a lot of my time to finding engaging lessons and projects for my students. I did not have the best classroom management at the time, but my students definitely learned what they needed to.

With the help of my class and the help of their core Math teachers, many of my students passed the TAKS Math assessment that year. I sometimes run into my former students from my first year. All of them tell me how much they enjoyed my class and that I was their favorite teacher. I guess I did something right.

I completed coursework for my alternative certification in one year. During this time I worked part time at Foley’s and spent the rest of my time substitute teaching. I substituted on campuses at every level in Denton ISD. I particularly enjoyed working with middle school students.

I really enjoyed working at one middle school campus. I felt a connection with the students and teachers there. Anytime a chance to substitute at the school came up, I jumped at the opportunity.

I passed my certification tests during that year and began my quest to obtain a teaching position. I interviewed at one middle school campus for an English teacher position. The committee decided to go with a candidate that had more experience. They did give me some positive feedback, which I appreciated.

One day during the summer, after working until 4AM helping with a floor move, I decided to go to the middle school campus where i substituted often to speak with the Principal about possible positions on the campus. When I arrived I was greeted by the Principal who had returned early from his vacation because one of his teachers had resigned. I spoke with him about the reason for my visit. He offered me an opportunity to interview for an Accelerated Math position.