Teacher Aura

Today as I took my morning walk, I got an interesting comment.  A couple sat on the bench overlooking the lake snuggled together to keep out the chill.  We nodded morning greetings as I walked by, and then when I walked back, one of them asked, "Are you a teacher?"

I stopped and said, "I teach English at Broward College.  And I've taught at a lot of other places."  One of them said, "We thought so.  You have that aura."

I said, "I'm going to take that as a good thing."  They nodded and said, "It is!"

That encounter cheered me, as I had been feeling like a limping, hunched over version of whatever I am or used to be.  I've had over a week of sore back and sore feet and sometimes sore knees and hips.  The one morning that I felt more pain free was the one where I only got 4 hours of sleep, so I was in bed less hours.  Sigh.

But the week hasn't been all grim news and pain.  I saw an ad for a teaching job that lasts just 6-7 weeks in the summer, either in Amherst, MA or Chicago.  It includes room and board and pays $15,000 which seems like a lot of money for part-time work.  It would be working with high school grads, improving their writing skills, before they went to college.  

I was about to keep scrolling, and then I thought, wait, I could do this.  I'm free--I don't have a full-time job, I'm not taking seminary classes, and my other adjunct work can be done from anywhere.  I plan to apply.

I like being in a part of my life where there might be multiple ways to keep my teacher aura burnished.