It’s probably one of my most vivid memories. My very first TOC call. After a night of tossing and turning, the phone rang on cue at 5:30 am. A call for Grade One! There’s no way around it, I was pumped as I drove out to a school north of the Fraser river on a rainy November day. I was so excited to finally be teaching a real class at a real school, and even more so, a grade that I loved. It felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were coming together.
That day’s expectations, however, did not live up to all I had hoped for. I couldn’t find the parking lot. My classroom was out in an annex across the field. There was no day plan. I did calendar completely wrong (for those of you who teach primary, you know this is huge in the eyes of the students). I couldn’t find any of the students' work. And the list goes on. However, the worst part was that I felt completely alone. I was the TOC that sat accidentally sat at someone else's spot at the staffroom table. Surrounded by people, I felt like I had no one and was no one.
Fast forward a few years, I now feel pulled in every direction, talk all day, and occasionally brace myself for the call of my name. As a Resource teacher and a Digital Literacy Coach, my door is always open and I am no longer ever alone. Students need help, parents look for support and teachers want to collaborate. There are meetings to attend, reading groups to teach, preps to cover, demonstrations of anxiety to manage, and technology hardware to troubleshoot. The list is endless. There are times when I actually want to hide, lock my door, and pretend I am not there. But wait, then we are told we should want to be more connected than ever! Make a Twitter account, write a blog, create a PLN, join the conversation. What?!? When do people find the time?