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My classroom, Room 110, is a big space, filled with natural light. It is modern and sleek. The ductwork overhead sometimes gurgles like a hungry dinosaur, and sometimes, the temperature in here is that of a northeast winter. Everything about it feels like home now.
I arrived in New Orleans in July both excited and anxious about starting a new job in a new city with students who called me “Ma’am”. (I happen to love that, by the way). I innocently assumed my fifteen years teaching Gifted English in New Jersey would mean I didn’t have a whole lot to learn about the job here. I was wrong. I was unaccustomed to August school days, unfamiliar with uniform policies and uncertain about how a semester-based schedule worked. I didn’t know the Einstein Pod from the Darwin Pod, or what kids meant when they talked about a “fab lab”, or how to create “classes” in ECHO. I asked a lot of questions, of a lot of people (especially Ms. Higgins) and soon, the year began to take shape. As it turns out, teaching in New Orleans isn’t really so different from teaching in New Jersey. It’s just better.
Students - you are beyond fortunate to be at Patrick Taylor. It is a wonderful school, rich with opportunities and advantages many students your age do not share. A 40-minute lunch, a library that is warm and welcoming and full of amazing books and resources and teachers who genuinely care about your well-being and academic success.
The list of things I’ll remember about my first year as a transplant from New Jersey is too long to include here. (The Mardi Gras parade would be at the top though). Instead, I’ll take the opportunity to thank “y’all” for making me feel welcome and sharing with me the magic that is King Cake.
REFLECTIONS OF A TEACHER TRANSPANT
Mrs. Ingariola