First Day of My 1st Job
First Day of My 1st Job: On the 4th day of April, I was curious, courageous, anxious, and delighted, yet I can straightaway say that I was ambivalent the whole night and didn’t get a sound sleep. It was sharp at 5:25 a.m. When I opened my eyes, I was willing to rest some more, so I didn’t get up from the bed. At 5:30 a.m. The alarm rang. I usually don’t wake up before my alarm, but that day, it happened. I closed my eyes once more, remembered God, and prayed for blessings for the entire day. It was my first day as a teacher, a position I had earned after a long, challenging, and exhausting interview process. Then, I got up to get ready! Mommy prepared my favourite breakfast for me. I could hardly resist the tantalizing aroma while I was styling my hair.“ Please pack the meal in a Tiffin too, mommy!” I asked. She smiled and said, “Done it already, dear!” I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my dress. “The first impression is the last impression,” my mommy used to remind me of this quote regularly. So, I wanted to dress up impressively. I chose a long mustard Kurti paired with maroon leggings. Something felt missing. I headed to my wardrobe and began searching for my beautiful multi-coloured scarf. Fell upon my right arm from an upper shelf. Quickly hung it over my neck and tied it loosely. Again, I stood in front of the mirror and felt great. “Now, it’s perfect!” I told myself. I was wearing a long kurti paired with matching leggings and a multi-coloured scarf around my neck, and my short, heavy, curly hair framed my face beautifully. It all made for a lovely combination. I added winged eyeliner to my eyes and wore ‘nude shade’ lipstick. Now it was 6:30 a.m. And I was ready. Rushed to the Puja room, stood there, closed my eyes, and prayed for the best for the whole day. Took a deep breath and came out. Mommy handed over my Tiffin box and put a spoonful of sugar and curd in my mouth, smiled, and said, “Best of luck! Dear,” I kissed mommy and said goodbye! With a smile. It was a hot sunny day. The school provided me with a cab service because it was quite far from my home. I walked to the front street to board the cab, following the instructions given to me by the school management the day before. At about 7 a.m., the cab arrived. It was a white-coloured Tata Winger. It stopped near me. A girl sitting inside the cab opened the door for me, looked at me, and told me the school’s name. I replied, “Yes”. She smiled a bit and told me to come inside. As I stepped inside the cab, I sat on the seat on her left side. She wore blue trousers and a red top, had light brown eyes, and straight hair. Three more girls were sitting in the cab. They all smiled and greeted me. And so I did. The school was 40 minutes away. We all introduced ourselves and discussed our assigned duties at the school. One of them was a receptionist, one was a librarian, and the remaining two were teachers like me. The librarian asked the driver to play some soft music, and he did so. Time passed, and we reached our school. I looked at the school’s building; it was a big building with four floors.
The security guard opened the main gate of the school and allowed the cab to enter the premises. The cab entered and stopped at the front door. We all stepped out turn by turn and went to the reception. My heartbeat quickened as I moved. Once again, I felt ambivalent—both happy and nervous. I signed the attendance register for the first time in my life as a teacher. It filled my heart with happiness and excitement. It was like living a moment I thought about in the past. I was given the charge of class 6th, Section ‘A’. After a short session with the coordinator, I moved to my class, which was on the first floor, using the ramp. The surroundings were very neat and clean. Children from different classes were moving around me, wishing me “Happy Morning!” I happily entered the classroom. At first glance, I was surprised because it was well-decorated. I was informed that I needed to decorate my classroom with charts and other items. As I looked at the students who were standing and greeting me, I returned their greetings and asked them to take their seats. I then inquired, “How are you all?” To which they replied enthusiastically, “We are fine, ma’am!” “Good!” I said and added, “You all look very graceful in your school uniforms!” “Thank you, ma’am,” they replied. “We’ll introduce each other after assembly,” I told them. Took attendance and moved towards the assembly ground with the class students. I avidly observed the things in the assembly. It was on open ground, and the weather was favourable. Students were standing in height order. The assembly started with a prayer sung by senior girls, followed by current news headlines. Everything was very well arranged except for the prayer part. That needed some improvement. I noticed. I believed it was my responsibility to help improve that part as a staff member. The assembly got over, and everybody started proceeding to their respective classes. Once I reached the classroom, I allowed the students some time to settle in. Allowed them to have water and get comfortable as per the school’s instructions. After that, I started taking the introduction. First, I introduced myself. I told them that I am the class in charge and will teach English and Social Studies. “Hope you all will cooperate with me and follow my instructions.” They were well-mannered and good at introducing themselves. I gave my first lecture on English. It was Chapter 1 of the textbook. The bell rang, and I moved to the next class, which was Class 7th. After greetings and an introduction as a new teacher, I delivered my lecture on “Social Studies.” By and by, time passed. And then it was break time. I sat in my class during the break as per the instructions. Ms. Puja, the same teacher who met me in the cab, entered my class and announced that she is now in charge of class 6 ‘Section B’. Previously, she was assigned class 6 ‘Section A’, which has been assigned to me. She wanted me to assist her in decorating the new class, as she had worked hard in decorating her previously assigned class. Without any delay, I agreed. She expressed gratitude and moved back to her class. Eventually, working hours were over. The day was good, and I learned many new things. Signed the departure register. Sat again in the same morning cab with the same colleagues. Reached home and shared all my experiences with mommy happily.