To Boldly Go Where Many Have Gone Before

Due to popular demand and demanding family, a blog is born. Initially I had apprehensions about publishing my experiences as a teacher in the public schools of New Zealand. The very nature of my job is public; I deal with a wide section of the community on a daily basis and my job dictates, in no small part, how I should act and operate in my personal life when I'm out and about. Thus I cling to my privacy with every intention of keeping that part of my life intact. Part of what makes teaching so tiring for me is that the line between my public and private selves is so blurred. I can't seem to get away from my job, no matter how much I try: I see my students when I shop for toilet paper and groceries at the store, when I go out for a coffee with my husband and when I catch public transit. I often wake up in the middle of the night wondering how to address such-and-such issue or problem in the classroom. I read stories of teachers being fired for choices they make in their personal lives and wonder how much people are watching me during my forays outside the house on the weekends. I can no longer wear two-piece swimming suits to the beach or buy personal toiletries at certain grocery stores for fear of being labeled an exhibitionist or, even worse, a functioning, normal human being.

Writing about my work in a public forum, in this light, can be a dangerous thing. I'm putting even more of myself out there into the public realm. What remains of my professional life that I have kept private up to this point are no longer in the dark. In a way, you could accuse me of being an exhibitionist.

The things I'll write about in this blog are the kinds of things I normally wouldn't talk about at work. They're the sorts of things I keep to myself because I know other teachers probably 1) don't think of those things, or 2) think about them but don't share with me and, so, don't desire such thoughts to be public. There's also a lot to be said for not rocking the boat too much at work.

I have plenty of fellow teachers who come from outside of the New Zealand originally. They've probably had their shares of confusion and internal conflict and quiet jokes much like I have. A few have shared them with me in confidence and I appreciate that. So I share my own experiences with you, my family and friends. I hope you enjoy.