I'd like to tell you that my first year teaching in Colorado has been great. I'd also like to tell you that I've enjoyed it immensely, but I'd be wrong with both statements.
Now before you get the wrong idea, I need to put out a few truths: I love Colorado, and I love North Park. There are some wonderful people here, and who could ever argue about the sights? I enjoy teaching social studies here. I'm thankful for the freedom the district has given me to teach some controversial topics. I adore my students. Let me say this one more time for emphasis: I adore my students. I will do anything I can to help them succeed.
The problem I have is my struggles to acclimate to a new culture, which I've never had a problem doing before. I adjusted just fine when I live in Italy. I fit in well when serving in Washington, D.C., and I lived the good life while stationed in New Jersey. However, the culture here is different. I don't know how to explain it. I can only say that it is. For whatever reason, I constantly feel like an outsider here. Maybe my personality doesn't mix well with some folks, or perhaps I'm a bit shortsighted in my thinking. I don't know.
What I do know is that these feelings are often common in first-year teachers. It's not some warning sign of impending doom. I just hope and pray that I can learn from a tough first year and become a better teacher and coach. I hope that my students understand how much I care about them, even as I challenge them with difficult material. The one thing I do know is that God brought me here for a reason. I have to trust that, even though I don't understand much of anything.
