I'm not entirely sure how this has happened. Well, that's not true. I do know how it happened. I lost sight of where I was supposed to go. I have "let life happen" to me, just went with the flow and the path of least resistance. I failed to be the one steering and deciding where my life is going. But, all that is in the past. The biggest question going forward is what am I going to do to take control and make the decisions about where my life is going and what it will be spent doing?
I violated one of my "non resolutions" from January. Only, it was one that I had decided not to include in the post. It would have said, "I'm not accepting a job I will hate just because it's offered to me." Does that need much more explanation? Every day I try to tell myself I should be thankful to have a position. It is great to have a desk to cry at when I get turned down for other jobs. It is paying the bills and supporting my family. But it is soul-sucking. It makes me feel like I've wasted half my day, every day. I need to be doing something that matters. It needs to matter to me, and it needs to matter to others. This job is exactly what it is. A job to pay the bills until something better comes along.
I worked so hard to get a career going, and I let a speed bump turn into a road block. I followed a detour sign that didn't give me a way back. Not anymore. I am taking back the career that I worked so hard for.
Being cut from the budget shouldn't have been the end of the world. Lots of people have their dreams undercut at the 90 day mark, but they keep on pursuing the dream they started with. I let that 90 day heartbreak make me think I wasn't a good enough teacher. Sure, my confidence is rattled. But it doesn't mean I'm not a good teacher, and that I don't belong in a classroom. Being a teacher is something that I've always wanted to do, and I let life happen to me for too long already.
The hiring season is upon us. I'm already licensed for History at middle and high school, as well as ELA at middle school. I have pending licenses in Humanities for middle school, ELA for high school and special education for middle and high school. All of those licenses are valid and useful, and they are all assets to a school district.
I am a teacher. I inspire. I guide and consult. I encourage and lead.
So, back to the big question... what am I going to do about it? Currently I have 15 active applications for jobs I am 100% qualified for and excited about. I plan to email each of those principals weekly to inquire about the position and the status of the hiring process. I will follow-up via phone call (and voicemail) about why I am excited about the position and how I would be a great fit.
I am already registered for a job fair in a major school district. I will be attending that next week. Enormous quantities of my resume are about to be distributed.
I will continue to pester our Department of Education about expediting my pending licenses so I can apply for additional, and more high-need, positions.
My vast network of teacher-friends will be tapped for passing on my name and resume.
The hiring season is here, and I am not letting life continue to just "happen." Yes, I have a position, and the pay is better than anything I could hope for as a teacher. But there is no joy in this job. There is no sense of accomplishment or pride. There is no thought required. It doesn't matter how much they pay you if you are miserable all day.
I miss teaching. I miss my kids. I miss laughing with them. I miss the excitement of a new week with a new learning goal. I miss the kids' originality and inquisitiveness. I miss having them call me out on something. Nothing ever made me happier than when the kids caught a mistake I'd made. It was proof they were paying attention and they were learning.
Life isn't just happening any more. From here on out, I am living the life that I intend.
I violated one of my "non resolutions" from January. Only, it was one that I had decided not to include in the post. It would have said, "I'm not accepting a job I will hate just because it's offered to me." Does that need much more explanation? Every day I try to tell myself I should be thankful to have a position. It is great to have a desk to cry at when I get turned down for other jobs. It is paying the bills and supporting my family. But it is soul-sucking. It makes me feel like I've wasted half my day, every day. I need to be doing something that matters. It needs to matter to me, and it needs to matter to others. This job is exactly what it is. A job to pay the bills until something better comes along.
I worked so hard to get a career going, and I let a speed bump turn into a road block. I followed a detour sign that didn't give me a way back. Not anymore. I am taking back the career that I worked so hard for.
Being cut from the budget shouldn't have been the end of the world. Lots of people have their dreams undercut at the 90 day mark, but they keep on pursuing the dream they started with. I let that 90 day heartbreak make me think I wasn't a good enough teacher. Sure, my confidence is rattled. But it doesn't mean I'm not a good teacher, and that I don't belong in a classroom. Being a teacher is something that I've always wanted to do, and I let life happen to me for too long already.
The hiring season is upon us. I'm already licensed for History at middle and high school, as well as ELA at middle school. I have pending licenses in Humanities for middle school, ELA for high school and special education for middle and high school. All of those licenses are valid and useful, and they are all assets to a school district.
I am a teacher. I inspire. I guide and consult. I encourage and lead.
So, back to the big question... what am I going to do about it? Currently I have 15 active applications for jobs I am 100% qualified for and excited about. I plan to email each of those principals weekly to inquire about the position and the status of the hiring process. I will follow-up via phone call (and voicemail) about why I am excited about the position and how I would be a great fit.
I am already registered for a job fair in a major school district. I will be attending that next week. Enormous quantities of my resume are about to be distributed.
I will continue to pester our Department of Education about expediting my pending licenses so I can apply for additional, and more high-need, positions.
My vast network of teacher-friends will be tapped for passing on my name and resume.
The hiring season is here, and I am not letting life continue to just "happen." Yes, I have a position, and the pay is better than anything I could hope for as a teacher. But there is no joy in this job. There is no sense of accomplishment or pride. There is no thought required. It doesn't matter how much they pay you if you are miserable all day.
I miss teaching. I miss my kids. I miss laughing with them. I miss the excitement of a new week with a new learning goal. I miss the kids' originality and inquisitiveness. I miss having them call me out on something. Nothing ever made me happier than when the kids caught a mistake I'd made. It was proof they were paying attention and they were learning.
Life isn't just happening any more. From here on out, I am living the life that I intend.