I walked into Walmart the other day, as usual around this time there are backpacks and school supplies everywhere. As I walked around the store I couldn’t help but remember this time last year, I was walking through the store with tears in my eyes. It had been only a few months since my retirement from teaching for over twenty years. I was scared to death. I had no idea what I was going to do to fill my days. What the heck was I thinking? I made a mistake, maybe I can go back for another year.
Fast forward a year later; leaving was the right decision, it was time to move on. My struggle was not in leaving; it was in moving on. The difference: leaving a situation gives you the option to return. Moving on requires a made up mind, it’s time to embrace the change. I was ready for the challenge God set before me.
I began teaching GED classes in January of 2020. When I heard about the position I was terrified. I had not been on an interview in years. Then to find out it wasn’t with one person which is what I remembered interviews were like, no it was with a panel. Okay, Denise, you can do this, I told myself. I get to the interview at 10:00 am I’m waiting in the hallway with a group of college students (very intimidating, I’m no spring chicken) My name is called; I’m thinking it is not too late there is an exit at the end of the hallway. I walk in the door; the panel is already seated. I sit down next to the door. The interview begins. Wait a minute, I know one of the interviewers, Yes I did recognize her. Yes, thank you, God. She and I worked together in my previous teaching assignment. Within a few minutes, she and I were recalling the good old days of public school.
The rest as they say is history. I love my new teaching assignment. It is so gratifying to see adults work hard to achieve their goal of acquiring their GED; knowing that I had a part in helping them to attain it.
Walking through Walmart during this time of year is a whole new experience, one which I am truly enjoying.
