New School Year...But Not for Me

Last week, Boston Public School started it's 2010-2011 School Year.

I'd be a fool if I didn't have any feelings associated with the new year.  At this time, I would know who all the new teachers are and preparing them for the year ahead.  We would probably be welcoming in a new group of Interns, sending them across the city on an agency scavenger hunt.  I would be struggling to learn a new group of names.
I was walking around my neighborhood sometime last week, and that included going in front of the school.  In that walk, I saw several kids and parents who recognized me immediately.  Though social work rules state that you can't necessarily acknowledge your past clients, it's difficult to do so when they acknowledge you first.  Plus, depending on the work you do and who you do work with, it could be mighty rude to not even make eye contact.

The kids who saw me greeted me with a look of surprise.  I just ask them how things are going, and they casually brush it off like it's nothing.  One student I saw told me that she's at a different school, but that she is still remembering how fun it was to do a skit for a younger class.  I encouraged her to keep looking for opportunities like that, even if they're not called "leadership projects."  She just needs to learn which teachers will help her accomplish things, but she already knows how to get through projects.

I walked away feeling...nostalgic and happy and sad.  I miss working with kids.  I miss being around kid energy.

But, there are changes on the horizon.  I finally have a job interview on Wednesday.  It's for a part-time and temporary position, but it's at a school where I would be running groups.  I'm excited that finally something has popped up, and I'm hoping it means more will be on its way.