From China back to Chinatown

The winds were 65 mph! It was raining cats and dogs! Umbrellas were flipping inside out! I picked the perfect day to return to my home away from home....good old Chinatown, NYC.

I looked around at my surroundings as I walked through the neighborhood of the school where I used to teach. Most things were exactly the way they were when I left in June. Tour buses with soaked passengers were still whizzing by me, old men were still hocking luggies on the sidewalks, and the force of the wind still paralyzed me as I tried to walk forward.

For six years I would wave at the security guard at the visitor's desk on my way into the school office where I would sign in and pick up my mail and classroom keys.

It felt strange entering the school and having to stop at that same visitor desk to show identification. It then hit me that I had no mail to check or keys to grab.

I went upstairs where I had lunch with my old colleagues. It felt just like old times, minus the laughter of a few good friends who were part of the 20% turnover rate this year.

After lunch, I bounced from classroom to classroom catching up with teachers and the latest school gossip. Then the bell rang. I knew it was time to do what I had come to school that day to do....visit my students from the past two years!

I stood in the cafeteria doorway and one by one the students caught sight of me. They jumped out of their seats, ran to where I was standing, and almost bowled me over. I had about 40 students crowding around me asking for hugs and wondering if I was back for good. We talked about their new classes this year, Hong Kong, and what they missed most about 2nd and 3rd grade. I noticed many of them had grown taller, had a new hair style, or a complete set of teeth.

I walked out of the cafeteria with a smile on my face and warm feeling in my heart. I had made a difference in each one of my student's lives. I left the school with a sense of accomplishment. My job as a teacher there was done...well at least for now!