WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

THIS PAST YEAR I LAUNCHED myself back into the workforce—as a middle school teacher. I know. It was a wild idea. In preparation for this.) I asked her, seriously, “How in the world am I going to do this?” In her calm way, she set my feet on the path of teacher wisdom: “Be firm. Explain EVERYTHING. Set boundaries. Have routines. Share procedures. Be prepared. Be ready to improvise because teaching is fluid.” As she spoke, I thought, I said, “I have a lot to learn.” She said, “Keeping thinking that. The teacher who thinks she knows it all is finished.”