Something new & old

I’ve always been a creature of habit. I have my comfort zone that I tend to stick pretty close to.

I don’t like the idea of moving and major changes are not made without a lot of thought. I am not someone who wants to job hop or move on a whim. I drive the same car that I’ve had since 2008 and don’t know what my iPhone model is. I tend to operate under the “it ain’t broke” mentality. When I started my job in 2010, I was hired as a fourth-grade teacher. The school has become my second home and my teacher friends have become extended family.

After 14 years in the same position and some internal changes, I saw the opportunity for another position open in first grade. My initial thought was to cling to what I know, which is fourth grade. I know the content, I understand the age of the children, and I am confident with what I do.

The problem is, even though I love fourth grade and was still happy, I started to picture myself with the younger kiddos. I started to visualize what it would look like to teach first grade, and out of nowhere, I felt an excitement that I had not felt in a long time. The idea of teaching children how to read was so appealing to me and something I was ready to dive into. I began to think about moving from something that I know so well to something completely different and new. In a way, it felt like a fresh start and a recharge of my professional batteries.

When I was first hired, I remember talking to my papa and telling him about my new job. He asked me about my desk, and I told him that the school provided me with one. I was in one day over the summer setting up my new fourth-grade classroom and was called by the office to let me know that I had a delivery. I told them I wasn’t expecting anything. The next thing I knew, a furniture truck was at my school bringing in a new desk. I told them that I didn’t order a desk and was told that Joe had bought one and had it sent over here for delivery to his granddaughter.

My desk from my papa. (Photo provided by Megan Rathz)

Internal conversations took place about me moving to first grade and how all of this would play out in the jigsaw puzzle of what is assembling a school staff. After a lot of thought and discussions, it was decided that I would move to first grade.

One thing that was very important to me with the move was my teacher desk. When I spoke with my principal about the logistics of moving classrooms and told her about my desk, she arranged to have it moved for me. She understood the sentimental value and how special the desk is to me. The local high school football team was commissioned to move it from the third floor to the lower level. I got such a kick out of seeing familiar faces moving my desk as a handful of the boys were kids that I used to teach.

I know that this year will bring its changes and challenges. I know that it will be different from what I’ve done for the last 14 years, but I am so ready and could not be more grateful for the opportunity to do something different. It was time for me to mix it up and try something new. I know that no matter what I’m teaching, I will always make sure I have my papa’s desk.

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.

My classroom. (Photo provided by Megan Rathz)