It's been awhile. Lots has happened, and I wasn't blogging because not only was Christmas coming, I was also having a personal crisis (nothing really serious, but definitely a big change) and needed time to just take a step back and see what I needed to do.
It all started when I did a report on zero tolerance policies in schools. I did a lot of research and suddenly became completely unsure about my future as an elementary school teacher. I am not the type of person who can blindly follow a bad decision, and while I understand the reasoning for some zero-tolerance policies, many people abuse them, much to the detriment of students.
This led to my thinking about the things I would have to do to become a teacher. The 100 hours of my own time I'd have to find to complete the required observation time; studying for, paying for, and passing the teacher's exam; quitting my job so that I could student teach part-time (for no pay), and finally completing my degree, only to find that I make less than I make now. I have 2 kids to put through school, and who would like to continue spending time with me. Once I became a teacher, I would have work to bring home every night (papers to grade, lessons to plan) and continue to go to classes regularly, to keep my certificate active.
And then I thought about the job I have now, with the really great 401K and very impressive pension plan, the great benefits, and most importantly the fact that I love what I do now. Since I moved to Arizona 20 years ago, I have been desperate to go back to Michigan, where I came from. But I realized that I have a lovely home here, great kids, a husband who loves me and with whom I have lots of fun, and we are blessed beyond reason. So I decided that this is my home. If at some point, God decides to move us back to Michigan or somewhere else, then so be it. But until then, I'm going to practice being content where I am.
With all that in mind, I changed my major (and am still completing a degree, just a different one than I originally planned). I am now a Business Management major, and with all that's gone on, I feel like I haven't, in fact, wasted half my life in the wrong career. I feel like I've been getting experience in my chosen field, and somehow, that makes me really happy. I can relax, not having to figure out how I'm going to move us to Michigan. I can continue in the job I have, learning more about the business world as I earn my degree, and have a good life.
It's a relief!
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4 comments:
Glad you found peace. It means more than anything. Welcome home.
Yea! I'm glad you figured out something you feel good about. I have an ElEd degree, and I substitute teach, but I won't ever go back to teaching. I talk to full time teachers a lot, and they aren't a happy group. At least not here.
Good luck!
Hi, I followed you over from Tori's blog. LOL. Definitely don't become a teacher unless you are crazy committed to it! There are so many stupid things every day! Take it from me, a prison teacher who has only one semester left until I become a principal! There is a reason I go all anonymous...so I can bash my fellow teachers, administrators, et. al.!
BTW, nice to meet you.
soul searching often comes with us coming to terms with our greatest fears and appreciating what we do indeed have--often we find that we're just fantastic the way we are right now!
good for you for sticking with the degree and moving it towards something that can actually get you more pay and prestige in the field you're in!
and that's exactly why i am a teaching ARTIST, not a full-time teacher--i could never teach as my official job because it's too demanding and such a difficult and low-paying job that drains the heck out of you. there's so much more you can do to help your community and elementary school children without having to teach them in a school everyday. i haven't met one teacher that wants to quit every second (including myself!).
i also find that i want to move to new york, and when i look around me i find that chicago's just fine--for now.
have a happy and safe new year! it looks like you're starting off on the right foot.
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