Another of the perks was my relatives could attend classes gratis. My daughter took advantage of this and entered a sculpture class. I'll never forget, she made a sculpture and wood piece that she gifted me with that Christmas, I was so touched. It was a win-win all around.
My biggest challenge at AMC was the court date, I never saw it coming. A couple of cute guys from the FDNY would come around sporatically to inspect the premises and make sure the building was meeting the legal requirements. I was always welcoming of them as my son is a member of the FDNY also. I looked upon their visits as a pleasant diversion...until it wasn't. 'I'm sorry to tell you this but I need to give you a summons to appear in court. Everything is not up to par" WHAT!!! 'This summons explains everything". I was thinking it was a very old building. I immediately called the Garden City powers that be and explained what was happening. "Don't worry, we'll fix everything and you'll handle the court date". WHAT!!! As I lay in my bed that night I was trembling with fear imagining them hauling me off to jail straight from the court room , do not pass go, do not collect $200. I have a vivid imagination. The day finally came,I dressed up and showed up as I was taught with the papers certifying the correction of the charges. After it was all taken care of I treated myself to a nice lunch and put it behind me. Another win for Ani.
As time marched on I continued to enjoy my duties as Director of AMC. Then the day came that changed everything; my friends' ambitious husband got a promotion to Pres. of the University. This meant that there was a new person over me and he wanted his own people in. So as easy as I was in, I was now out! As I reflect back that opportunity had expanded me in ways I had never expected or could imagine and I was grateful for it all. And all I could say is, Next?
I looked around from my vantage point of my 33rd floor apartment in Tribeca... and I saw Borough of Manhattan Community College right next door. I'll go there for a job I said to myself, cause that's how I roll. I have never scanned the want ads for work. I have many wonderful friends who think highly of me, my friends are my currency and I Am a rich woman. So off I went to BMCC and picked up 3 classes as an adjunct professor in the English Dept. teaching Comp.I...and enjoyed every minute of it. it wasn't as glamorous as being the Director but it was lovely indeed. I taught students from third world countries who wanted to advance in America and it was my privilege. While working there I made a friend who also taught at New York University.
She told me they were looking for another teacher in the ESL dept. Off I went and now I'm teaching at one of the most prestigious Universities in NYC teaching foreign students English.
'From your students you shall learn' and I did. I learned all about the countries they were from : China,Japan,Korea, France,Russia to name a few. These elite students were humble and appreciative of improving their English. They were a delight. The coup de grace of those years was the pen-pal project I initiated between the 2 schools, connecting the students through letter writing, filmed conversations and finally meeting at the term's end. But I digress...back to the investigation of my teaching pension. I finally got some clarity from the union rep in Boca Raton in simple terms...'You weren't appointed, which you need to be to put into the pension fund, and you weren't there long enough to be appointed.'(now I fully understood the horror of my fellow teachers when I opted to leave the Bd. of Ed.) So this clarity gave me closure to a question I had been pondering quite awhile. But I might add gaining this clarity, taking this journey
back through my years of teaching service, I came away with a greater gift, a new appreciation for and valuing my contribution. I was myself.
Je ne rien regrette! I did it my way...
cause that's how I roll.
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