After 22 years working at LGA, I've done a lot of thinking about what brought me here and what keeps me here. Last year I finally took the time to write it all out and I am resharing it here:
If you know me, you probably know that I work at the most amazing place in the world. The story of how I landed here is pretty amazing in itself. I was in grad school at UMASS, but had not yet started my job search for schools for the next year. I found the website for the Solomon Schechter Day School of the Pioneer Valley and thought, "There's a Schechter? In Northampton?! And it was here the whole time I was an undergrad?" I called and asked to come for a visit mostly because I was chasing the nostalgia of my own SSDS days. During my tour I was blown away not just by how sweet the kids were but also how engaged they were in what they were learning, especially during Torah Study lesson with Morah Amy Meltzer.
When I spoke after the tour with the principal, Sandy Warren, I learned that what I had thought was a K-3 school was actually a growing K-5 school, and that they were going to be looking for a 6th grade teacher for the following year. "What are you doing in the area?" she asked. "Getting my masters in teaching." "Have you taught before?" "Yes... I spent last year teaching 6th grade." "Are you looking for a teaching job? Do you want to work here?!" "Actually, I think I would love that!" So while I didn't officially leave with a job, I did leave with a job interview. And a few weeks later, I did a lesson on pendulums with Morah Cindy Kassell's 5th graders, who would, the following year, go on to be my first class, the Pioneer Class of 2003.
I was 24. I knew what I was doing and also had no idea what I was doing. I was only 12 years older than most of my students. But I was trusted and supported and challenged and encouraged to take risks and follow my instincts, not only by Morah Sandy, but by all of my amazing colleagues, many of whom I am still fortunate to spend my days with 21 years later. It was a transformative year for me in more ways than I can express.
In my two decades here, so much has changed, both in the world and in the school. SSDSPV has become LGA. We've had teachers come and go, we've had heads of school come and go, and we've graduated over 200 amazing young people out into the world. But what has remained is the fact that I did find what I was chasing all those years ago: That nostalgic feeling that I still have for my own elementary school. The classmates that are still my closest friends, the teachers that I still am in frequent contact with, who have made it a point to keep tabs on me and stay present in my life over the last 35 years, and the sense of community and belonging. I have found all of that here in abundance but now I get to be on the other side. I get to be the one keeping tabs on my first babies, many of whom are now older than I was when I first taught them. Maybe most amazing is that I get to watch my own three kids have those same experiences that I had and remain forever grateful for. To say that LGA is the center of my entire adult world is not hyperbolic.
We are running another fundraiser this year with some significant matching opportunities. If you are feeling so inclined to make a donation, however small, so that this home of mine continues to grow and thrive, it would be most appreciated.
