Jeff for America

Three years ago, almost to the day, I flew across the country to become a teacher. I remember asking my cousin, a teacher for 15 years, what a lesson plan was a week before I left. I had no idea what I was doing.

Thankfully, I’m a quick study and I picked up what I could from the scant training I got from TFA. Five weeks isn’t enough to do much, let alone learn the basics of classroom teaching. But it gave me something to work with, and I dedicated my life to learning more and getting better. I was humble and asked a lot of questions and was friendly with everyone I met.

It paid off. I found success – more than I expected.

I fell in love with my students, which turned out to be a damn good motivation when it comes to working hard, long hours.

I made some real friends, most of whom will invite me to their weddings and all of whom I will miss deeply.

And I learned a lot about myself. I more intimately know my limits – when to go and when to stop. Maybe more importantly, how to tell when to do what.

I’m on a plane now, going home. It’s a one way flight and it feels different than all the ones before. All the Christmas vacations and Spring Break getaways – those were just temporary escapes. This feels natural, like it’s what is supposed to be happening right now.

That’s reassuring, since I feel so unsure about leaving it all and starting over.

I created something beautiful there and now it’s over. At least the reality is over. The reverberations will be felt for some time. I’ll carry it with me to my new school, to my studies, into my future.

I’ll unpack what I can use and keep stored away the things I no longer need. Every once in a while I’ll take everything and lay it out to remember what it was like to be ambitious and naïve. And I’ll feel inspired to do it all again.

In fact, I already do.

- Jeff