A New Chapter



From the gate, my new school extends itself into a giant welcoming circle.  When I step into the foyer, a garden comes into view, lifting my spirits...  
Owing to unforeseen circumstances, I sought a transfer out of the school that had been my second home for nearly twenty years.  After two months of anxious waiting, I was relieved to learn that my life as a teacher would continue at a school not far from my house.  Unlike most teachers, who have had multiple transfers, this is only my second school.    I know I ought to be happy about the outcome, yet my heart is beset with the fear for the unknown, which I guess is only natural.  Will I feel welcomed by the other staff and the students?  Will I fit in?
 Finally I set foot in my new workplace for the first time and take an early morning exploration around the school, amazed by the number of classrooms it houses.  
The school garden, nestled in the quadrangle, is bisected by an organized network of footpaths, bordered by short hedges.  At every intersection a cross is formed and repeated, creating a pattern pleasing to the eye.  In the middle, amid well-tended shrubberies stands a white, glowing gazebo.  The beauty immediately captivates me.  A small voice tells me that the school is a God-given place where I can confidently turn over a new leaf.
The staff room is also spacious.  I have more room to move about at my desk, a stark contrast from the crampness of my former station.  
My first staff meeting, as expected, begins right on time.  The principal wishes everyone a Happy New Year.  He surprises me with his amicable casualness.  Then the names of all the newly transferred teachers are announced, starting with my own.  The en suing welcoming clap catches me off guard.  I am called upon to introduce myself, so I try my best to give a brief speech in a calm voice.  When I finish, many hands extend my way and I shake each one gratefully, feeling very much at home.  My overwhelming sense of insecurity as a newcomer seems to have evaporated.
My arrival coincides with the day that the principal introduces a new mission for the school, something that is done every four years.  Speaking with conviction, the principal urges every teacher to be dedicated to producing students with a wholesome character while en suring all of them can fulfill the minimum target of attending skill-based courses after Form Five.  Wasn’t this the same Utopian dream that had inspired me to take up the challenge as a teacher?  Wasn’t it the same aspiration of gearing the younger generation towards success?
After the meeting, a new resolution has taken shape in my heart. Yes, I will never let my passion for teaching die. Wherever I go, it shall continue to burn in me.  I shall never let bygones get in the way of achieving my goal.
“What if the students are rowdy and rebellious?” asks a concerned voice within me.  “Will you be disheartened as usual?”
“No,” counters a louder, more positive voice.  “The learning desire in them is clamoring for attention.  They need you to enlighten them along their journey of self-discovery.”
Coming out through the gate, I am greeted by bright sunlight.  Many colleagues wave goodbye as I prepare to leave.  Again, I ask myself if I am ready to teach for the New Year.
“Yes,” is my unhesitating reply.  “ I am all set to teach.   A new chapter in my life has begun.”


Comments

suituapui said…
Glad everything started on the right foot, make the best of it, any job can only be good when one is doing what one loves and is very happy doing the best one can.
January 14, 2017 at 6:41 PM
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