Wow, you're the same age as my dad!

Last week, some of the students in the Spanish class I work in found out that their teacher used to teach Spanish to another one of their (much younger) teachers.

They were entirely blown away by this - not believing that their Spanish teacher was anywhere near old enough to have once taught another professional adult who is now her peer and co-worker. Even less believable, was when they found out that I'm older than their Spanish teacher.

Yes, it was a very humbling afternoon.

In reality, this whole situation (Spanish Teacher, Young Teacher, and me...Teacher Aide) were/are just babies when we got started in this whole life thing. Spanish Teacher taught Young Teacher in her very first year of teaching. That same year is when I got married - barely old enough to order my own drink in public. Spanish Teacher and I were in the 22-23 range at the time. Wee babes!

The kids, with their minds fully blown, embarked on a side quest to figure out the age of Spanish Teacher, and knowing that I was only one year older than her, me as well. They made educated guesses, narrowed down the options, and tried their hardest to get little hints of information out of both of us.

What ended up cracking the case was when one student said, "Wait, she went to high school with my dad and he's 39!"

I'm 39. Spanish Teacher is 38. Our birthdays are very close - we're both Virgos.
(You'll find oodles of Virgos and Capricorns in education, by the way. It tracks.)

The whole thing was funny and entertaining to witness, but then that deep-thinker part of my brain kicked in, and started looking at it with that big-picture awe. While I'm still working on my license, this school year has been my first step back into education - the start of my professional career. And here, in this school year, I am the same age as my students' parents (give or take a year). 

It doesn't matter, really. Just a funny coincidence. But when I look back at being that 22-23 year old who was completing the first part of her education credentials and gaining teaching experience, who chose to take a left turn into motherhood for a hot minute, who could have been Young Teacher and the same age as these kids' older siblings or cousins...it's just funny how the timing worked out. 

I could have started working again at any point and been just some middle, insignificantly un-connected age. I know it doesn't matter. It just feels oddly...serendipitous? 

And knowing that my education career won't be as long as some - stepping into it at the tail end of my 30's, and all (there's not enough time to fit in 30 or 40 years of teaching), it's interesting to think about. It's wild to think that someday, towards the end of it, I'll be the same age as their grandparents. Heck, I might BE a grandparent. And with my late start, that will happen a lot faster for me than for most teachers who step into the profession. 

I know I'm not alone in being this age and also being a newbie. There are plenty of teachers who began their education careers as a second career. I can think of three that I know well right off the bat. 

One that worked in management and then decided to manage children for 25 years instead and did it well.
One who worked in the fashion industry and acquired trends for a large retail chain who is now teaching sewing in family and consumer science courses.
And another who worked in business and became an expert school librarian who knew exactly what books to order, from where, and how many. 

They are/were all excellently experienced professionals who contributed priceless knowledge to the field of education, and despite their shorter careers, provided immeasurable amounts of good to the lives of their students.

I'm not exactly one of them. I didn't have a career before this one. But I did put motherhood and learning the art of genuine support through child development at the forefront of all that I've done for the last 15 years. 

And that's what I bring to my students every single day. Support, respect, understanding, patience, open-mindedness, playfulness, structure, individualized attention, humor, knowledge, curiosity, and care. So, so much more. And my own kids taught me how.

So it's kinda cool....being the same age as my students' parents. Getting started with kids who the same ages as mine. A lot of my co-workers are shocked at how quickly I picked it up and they say things like, "I don't know how you do it!" and it's because it's the same thing I do at home every single day. I live the same life at work as when I'm not at work. Always teaching and loving on my kids. 

And when I'm old enough to be my students' grandparent, I might be teaching and loving on my own grandkids when I'm at home. And that...is a really cool idea. 

I love my job. And I love that I'm the same age as your dad.

🖤