My role this year as an instructional coordinator in the nation's largest universal pre-kindergarten program roll-out provided me with a lot of insight and knowledge about the behind-the-scenes work at the DOE. It also provided me the opportunity to expand my scope of work beyond one class and one school. My favorite part of this role as compliance officer, thought partner, supporter, resource fetcher was the time spent in classrooms watching teachers interact with students, and having conversations with 4 year-olds while they built block structures or painted a portrait.
I was excited to broaden my work scope and engage with teachers and students at multiple school locations. I was motivated to get out there and be in classrooms, but as the year progressed I realized how much I missed the classroom. Although I only spent one school year in this role, it was a great learning experience for me.
Due to life changing at a pace that sometimes I can barely keep up with, I am thinking about how I have already left this role I really wanted to be in, to go back to what I think is my biggest passion and enjoyment - teaching. Stepping out of the classroom made me realize how much I still wanted to be in it, but needed a change of scenery. Knowing me and my desire to keep things changing and moving, I know I will transition in and out of the classroom again as I progress through my career. So my new adventure of heading back into the classroom in August is extremely exciting to me. New school, new environment, new part of the world. The opportunities available are unlike any I have participated in so far. The world is at my fingertips! To say I'm excited is an understatement. This opportunity has been in the works for some time, and it's finally coming to fruition.
Looking forward to sharing the experiences!
