10 Miles Ain't That Far

I am a music teacher and I work in the Newark Public School system in New Jersey.  My commute to work is a dream.  My school is only ten miles from my house but in the twenty-five to thirty minutes it takes me to get there in the morning (there's traffic) things change drastically.

I live in a beautiful community.  It is a one that is made up of wide, tree lined streets and these are occupied by Victorian style houses.  These homes are occupied by my friends and neighbors who - generally speaking - have careers in the financial, pharmaceutical, or legal industries.  My children go to school and play sports with kids who get new iPhones for Christmas.  In our entire circle of friends my wife and I are one of three families where both parents work.  Our community has a beautiful downtown with shops, stores and restaurants.  Our children will someday be able to go see a movie, have a soda or some ice cream and never have to get in a car to do it.  This is one of the reasons my wife and I chose to live here.

A friend of mine whose wife is not from here told me that she refers to our town as "The Land of Make Believe".  I know why she calls it this.  At times our town can seem surreal.  The tree lined streets, old Victorian charm, church steeples, downtown, good schools and beautiful parks can feel too good to be true.  It really does look and feel like a place that was "made up".  In fact, many TV shows, commercials and even Hollywood movies have been shot in our town.

The community where I teach is the complete opposite.  It is a mess.  While my community feels surreal from a sugar and sweet perspective the community I work in seems surreal from a gritty crime drama perspective.  The school I work in is an island to the kids who go there.  It is a place that provides structure, consistency, love, discipline, praise and encouragement.  It is more than a "school".  For many of the kids it is home and we, as teachers, are not simply educators but surrogate parents and guardians.

This has been a life changing experience for me.  I have been affected in ways I never imagined.  I started this Blog more as a way of therapy than expression.  I need to "talk" about what I see every day and my poor wife has been the brunt of most of my frustration, sadness, and also happiness.  You see, I LOVE my job.  It's challenging and crazy in many ways but it's also incredibly rewarding.

This will be where I come to get it all out.  Talk about the thrills, emotion, stress and challenges involved with working 10 Miles From the Land of Make Believe.