Getting "More Real"

I had no warning before the call came from the nearby girls high school. Over a month before, I had sent the English coordinator an email asking if they could recommend me as tutor, but there never was a reply.

Suddenly, I was asked to substitute for a teacher going on maternity leave. In the end, I'll be doing a bit more than that, which is great.

This past week I met with the coordinator in her home to get an idea of how things work and what's expected of me. The school is very different from my previous one. It'll be quite a challenge. But considering that I began my teaching career without any real training, and now I have eleven years experience as an EFL teacher...

Yesterday I hiked to and from Shvut Rachel, which actually isn't far, just through the valley across the street from my house. I visited the teacher I'm subbing for and got some instructions from her.

Last night, I picked up the package of textbooks sent by ECB, from our local "post office." The woman in charge opened it specially for me, since I couldn't get to the regular hours. She's flexible, since the set hours are very limited. And Thursday night the super-grocers is open for pre-Shabbat shopping. Afterwards, we both went to shop, and she saw another neighbor and told him that he had a registered letter. They went to her "office" to get it.

So, now after two meetings and receiving that new supply of books, teaching is looking and feeling closer than ever!