NEW BEGINNINGS
prov
by Jenny Mather
My new beginning happened when we moved to Germany after spending eighteen years in three different American states and with two more years sandwiched between the last two in Texas and North Carolina .
What do you do when you first move to Hamburg ? Join the AWCH , of course . At my first lunch there , I met Becky , who told me about the Film Group and that she was a substitute teacher at the International School . She suggested I join the Film Group critics and apply to ISH , which was always on the lookout for substitute teachers , so I did .
When I received a call to help from the school , I found it was nerve-wracking being back in the classroom after such a long time ( I didn ’ t teach during our time in the States ), but being a substitute teacher eased the pressure of being permanently responsible for teaching a class of children .
Then , over the school ’ s summer holiday and just as we were beginning to discover that our building contractor was not all that he seemed to be , I was asked to cover for a teacher who had had a nasty fall . “ Don ’ t worry , she ’ ll be back in a couple of weeks ,” said the head .
In fact , the teacher ’ s injury was exacerbated by an inherited condition , and she needed many months of painful rehab before she was better . So instead of breezing through two weeks of settling in with a new class , I was faced with teaching clever children who assumed I was a fount of all knowledge .
There was as much homework for me as there was for my children that year , and I had to ask for advice and help from my colleagues . Luckily , those children were well-motivated and well-behaved and were a pleasure to work with .
This was the beginning of many happy years teaching at the International School , and I stayed there until it was time to retire . Our builder turned out to be a thief , so my salary was useful in helping to fund the renovation of our flat after our money was stolen . There was a court case in the middle of that teaching year to add to my difficulties .
Since that unexpected new beginning there ’ s been another one , which has required another move and offered another set of challenges . Will this one be the last or will life offer another interesting twist in the future ?
CURRENTS 19