There are always two or three days before the school year starts that the teachers have to report to “get ready for the year.” What this really involves is huge amounts of wasted time and frustration. The teachers want to work in their classrooms, but almost all of the contract time is scheduled with meetings, presentations, etc. The overwhelming majority of the content of these meetings are 1) things that the teachers either already know, 2) don’t pertain to the entire staff, or 3) could have been communicated via email.
To say that I don’t look forward to these days would be quite an understatement. This past year was different, however. Not different from any of what I just mentioned above. That didn’t change. What was different was the fact that my wife and I work at the same school, and, after facing the possible dissolution of our marriage as the previous school year had come to a close, we were attending these meetings together and feeling like newlyweds. Acting like it, too, I suppose.
There were a number of people on staff who knew nothing about our troubles. Then there were others who were aware, on various levels, of what had taken place. It was a very emotional experience for me to share the story of our split and reconciliation several times with different groups of people, and I really wanted everyone to see a difference in me as a person, as well as the changes in us as a couple.
I also really wanted everyone to be happy for us, and to share our joy. Many did, but there were some who didn’t respond well. I was even called in to the principal’s office later in the school year because there had been complaints about us being affectionate toward each other while at school. I can only assume that the people who didn’t or couldn’t feel happiness for us were jealous or unhappy in their own lives.
For my part, I was utterly thrilled to have my wife by my side and to have our future looking bright and beautiful. I enjoyed those days that usually drive me crazy. One teacher, who is a friend of my wife, told her privately that she could see how much better things were, because I, “look at her like a goddess now.” Another teacher called us, “the lovebirds.” It was a very special time, especially after my fears of never reaching this point.
It was, after all, during such days, at the beginning of an earlier school year that I had still been in the middle of my confusion about who I wanted to be with and where my life was going. It was from my classroom, during a brief respite between meetings, that I had made a phone call effectively choosing my wife and ending my ambiguity about where my affections were to be given. That all seems so absurd now, and redeeming those days as part of the restoration tour was a joy that I won’t soon forget.
Just yesterday, my wife was hired for brand new position at the school; one that she should excel and be very happy in. It was great to be able to celebrate her success, and see the result of her hard work and perseverance paying off. It also means spending more of those in service days prior to the new school year together. It doesn’t mean I will look forward to the meetings any more than I ever have, but the blessing of sharing life with the one I love will certainly take the frustration out of them.
The Restoration Tour 