DIY/Career
What Possessed Me to Teach High School in NYC?
From India and the UK to a classroom in NYC
September 2023 was approaching rapidly, and I had made my decision to give high school teaching a try. But how did I get there?
A bit of background
I’d been a tenured ESL teacher in suburban CA for a while. Before that, I’d taught on and off in London and Chicago. My own high school experience as a student encompassed both India and the UK.
Once I settled in NYC a few years ago, I was extremely lucky to secure an online position working as a contractor for an ed-tech company. Remote working put my plans of working in a school aside for a few years, but I worked hard and obtained a general K-6 license in New York.
I couldn’t shake the thought of returning to a classroom. However, even though I’d obtained a credential for New York, my heart wasn’t in it.
Giving up my tenured position in California had been difficult and the thought of starting from scratch in a new state was terrifying. Would I have the same experience in New York? What if I hated it?
To make matters more complicated for myself, I worried extensively about which grade level to teach. I had taught high school in England…
