When Did It Happen?

I was 22 when I started this journey.  I am now 23 and I'm thinking wow.  My biggest goal last year at this time was to live up my last year of college.  My biggest goal this year: making sure my students learn something, making sure my students grow on their end of the year test, making sure my students get the most out of their learning, making sure my students graduate, making sure my students are on the right track to high school, and making sure I'm doing my best to get them there.  

I know you've probably heard this before but I'm not only a teacher.  I'm a mentor, role model, advisor, parent, disciplinarian, counselor, party planner, delegate, and basically everything that a child/administrator needs me to be.  I don't think people realize how true this is.  It's cute to hear but actually living it is tough and so there is no room left for you.  I just came out of an ILT (Instructional Leadership Team) meeting last week where we were making decisions about next year.  I mean I didn't even think a first year teacher could be a part of the ILT.  What experiences do I to even be a part of a leadership team?  But there I was making decisions.  I didn't even know what we where talking about half the time but I was trying and that's another part of growing up. Getting yourself thrown into something that makes no sense to you and hoping for the best.  

It's only been a year and my priorities no longer focus on me and that's the hardest part about growing up. I'm not the center of my life anymore.  I have 85 little bodies that now make up this center.  Everything revolves around them.  I now completely understand new parents and how they're ALWAYS talking about their kids and what they're doing and showing you pictures ALL the time.  I totally get it and I'm sorry for ever hating you.  I look around at my friends and their "important moving up the ladder" lives and I can't help but think when did it happen?  

When did we all grow up so fast? 

-Ms. P