I have been an elementary teacher for 13 years. I began my career in a tiny Christian school in the Weather Capital of the World, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. I went to Penn State University Park Campus, earned a degree in elementary education , student taught in Altoona School District in a Kindergarten classroom with a master teacher, and then upon graduation, I was so hungry to teach that I interviewed at a Christian School in Punxsy and was hired to teach at the Kindergarten level.
I loved it. I was overwhelmed, as most first year teachers were. But I enjoyed the happy chaos of my new career. I taught there for one year when, upon feeling the financial stress of a new marriage and pressure from my then husband to have better healthcare, retirement, and income, I resigned, only to substitute teach in a local public school.
Subbing is less than glamorous and fulfilling at times. Teachers like to complain about what you did and didn't do in their room for the day. It's a love/hate sort of relationship on both parts, that of the sub and that of the classroom teacher. I missed my classroom of students that I cared about every day and looked forward to on a consistent basis. I didn't like that 6 a.m. phone call, that wondering if I will get a couple days in a row because I made nice with the secretaries, or the anxious anticpiation of getting an interview when it was time for hiring.
I got two interviews with the same public school district. It didn't go as well as I had hoped it would either time. The first time I felt like I was just blowing smoke cause I was so nervous and distracted that I really didn't feel like I answered the questions to the best of my ability. I also felt like the questions really weren't that relevant to who I was as an educator, what I hoped to accomplish as a teacher, and what I knew about teaching. During the second interview the president of the school board fell asleep. When I saw him doze off, I was mortified. After that I am sure I didn't make any sense at all. I convinced my husband that subbing was not my path and I interviewed for a different local Christian School and received a 2nd grade position.
2nd grade was a similar challenge to teaching Kindergarten, but the Abecka curriculum that was used in those two schools was extremely detailed, fast paced, and laid out nicely so a teacher could pick it up and use it. I loved my job there, but the unfortunate thing about living in a depressed part of rural Pennsylvania is that private schools, such as both of the ones that I had taught in, depend on enrollment to pay their teacher's salaries. When enrollment is down, classrooms collapse and combine and a teacher loses his or her position. I was told that the class coming was too small to employ my position, so I went back to the public schools to apply for positions and be added to their sub lists.
I had received interviews in 3 local schools, was hired in 2 of those schools and chose the one that I currently work in because it wasn't in my home town, and I felt like, in theory, I could leave work behind and still have my own life when I returned home at night. That wasn't a true story. I do not possess an off switch apparently.
That first year was hell on earth. The district had just moved to full day kindergarten from half day, they acquired a new reading series, and they implemented a new assessment that, at the time was paper and pencil, and currently is performed using an app on an ipad. Some of my colleagues that I had to work really close with in the building that I had been assigned to were a little repelled by me. I had a lot of enthusiasm and ideas. I liked parent involvement. I was a novice with contract and union related stuff. I made a lot of wonderful friendships in that building because there were and still are some amazing teachers and women that work there. However, as it is in most work related settings, there are those couple that really make things difficult, and I was not having an easy time adjusting to that.
I have always been the black sheep in just about every setting that I have been in, but in this case I completely felt like I was the black, blue, green, purple, orange and yellow sheep, too. Needless to say, after a few years there I put in for a building change, thinking this would make my life easier somehow. I am not opposed to change when it feels good, and this change did, so I embraced it. I enjoyed my new building, which is my current building and I have had my shares of ups and downs there too, but they have felt much much more manageable than it did in my first placement.
While at my current building I have had a beautiful daughter, gone through severe depression and anorexia related to that depression, fought through a failed marriage, separation, and divorce, survived dating (which is not for the faint of heart because there are a lot of psychos out there), met the love of my life, married him, birthed a new son, moved from my old house to my current home, and all the while have continued to grow as an educator, getting better with each year in terms of discipline, effectiveness, and classroom management.
Last year was the best year of my career in spite of a 2 year long building renovation in which I moved my classroom and kids 3 times in 9 months and taught in a gymnasium with 6 other classrooms and no ceiling. My children were beautiful receptive respectful little people. They were well-behaved and ready to learn. They were kind and considerate. Their families were supportive and kind and helpful. They made me feel good about being a teacher and I loved to be their teacher. I had 3 children on the autism spectrum but because of early intervention, these brave little ones weathered the noise and adapted to the moves and learned in spite of all of the changes we had to endure together. We were a team, "Team Thomas" I called us, and I was proud of them for being such wonderful strong little people.
It is really hard to teach Kindergarten and then come home to three children under the age of 8, two of which I share custody with my former husband. I am happily remarried but marriage is not easy and takes a lot of time and work and effort. And my home has 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 kitchens and 5 acres. I am so exhausted from the work that I put into each child in my classroom each day, the fires that I put out every day that don't have anything to do with teaching and that do have to do with teaching, all of the requirements that public educators in Pennsylvania have to fulfill from the government and administration, the amount of parent contacts that I make regularly, and the neediness of the ages of these children, that I feel like I have so little left at the end of the day to give to my most deserving beautiful family. I do try my best. I am rarely grumpy and short with them even though it is taking every fiber of my being to hold it together. Routines are my sanity here, and my own children are very receptive to those and helpful to me and love me through hard days. My husband is amazing and helpful and selfless. He keeps me sane.
The face of public education is changing every day. It is not the same animal it was 10 years ago. Or even one year ago. I have came to the realization that I do not have it in me to do what I do for 30 years. Or 20. In fact, I am going to stop at 13.
Last week I turned in my resignation, effective December 21, 2012. It was with mixed emotions that I did so. In a way I feel like I am failing my students by leaving mid year. In most ways I feel like I am failing my family by going to work every day. I am leaving behind 2 wonderful teammates and a lot of colleagues who I have grown so fond of over the years. They have loved me through those hard times. I will miss that daily contact.
My supportive husband has afforded me the ability to not go to work every day. That is not to say that we do not need my income. It is just to say that I need to take a step back, get centered again, and do something part-time. Part-time in my field is back in the subpool. Only this time it is by choice. I don't have to care about so many things that I currently bring home with me every day. That I can't turn off when I lay down to sleep at night. I can go to school, teach and then I can leave it all behind me. But before I sub, I am going to test the waters of being a stay-at-home-mom. I have never had this ability before in a full-time sense.I am going to enjoy volunteering in my children's classrooms and spending days in my jammies with my toddler. I am going to do laundry and clean my own house and make good meals that take all day long. And I can't wait to do it. I have started blogging as a means of staying connected to the things I love the most, teaching included. I have so much to share about my past experiences, and so much to share on my journey to what is next. And I look forward to you being part of it.
I loved it. I was overwhelmed, as most first year teachers were. But I enjoyed the happy chaos of my new career. I taught there for one year when, upon feeling the financial stress of a new marriage and pressure from my then husband to have better healthcare, retirement, and income, I resigned, only to substitute teach in a local public school.
Subbing is less than glamorous and fulfilling at times. Teachers like to complain about what you did and didn't do in their room for the day. It's a love/hate sort of relationship on both parts, that of the sub and that of the classroom teacher. I missed my classroom of students that I cared about every day and looked forward to on a consistent basis. I didn't like that 6 a.m. phone call, that wondering if I will get a couple days in a row because I made nice with the secretaries, or the anxious anticpiation of getting an interview when it was time for hiring.
I got two interviews with the same public school district. It didn't go as well as I had hoped it would either time. The first time I felt like I was just blowing smoke cause I was so nervous and distracted that I really didn't feel like I answered the questions to the best of my ability. I also felt like the questions really weren't that relevant to who I was as an educator, what I hoped to accomplish as a teacher, and what I knew about teaching. During the second interview the president of the school board fell asleep. When I saw him doze off, I was mortified. After that I am sure I didn't make any sense at all. I convinced my husband that subbing was not my path and I interviewed for a different local Christian School and received a 2nd grade position.
2nd grade was a similar challenge to teaching Kindergarten, but the Abecka curriculum that was used in those two schools was extremely detailed, fast paced, and laid out nicely so a teacher could pick it up and use it. I loved my job there, but the unfortunate thing about living in a depressed part of rural Pennsylvania is that private schools, such as both of the ones that I had taught in, depend on enrollment to pay their teacher's salaries. When enrollment is down, classrooms collapse and combine and a teacher loses his or her position. I was told that the class coming was too small to employ my position, so I went back to the public schools to apply for positions and be added to their sub lists.
I had received interviews in 3 local schools, was hired in 2 of those schools and chose the one that I currently work in because it wasn't in my home town, and I felt like, in theory, I could leave work behind and still have my own life when I returned home at night. That wasn't a true story. I do not possess an off switch apparently.
That first year was hell on earth. The district had just moved to full day kindergarten from half day, they acquired a new reading series, and they implemented a new assessment that, at the time was paper and pencil, and currently is performed using an app on an ipad. Some of my colleagues that I had to work really close with in the building that I had been assigned to were a little repelled by me. I had a lot of enthusiasm and ideas. I liked parent involvement. I was a novice with contract and union related stuff. I made a lot of wonderful friendships in that building because there were and still are some amazing teachers and women that work there. However, as it is in most work related settings, there are those couple that really make things difficult, and I was not having an easy time adjusting to that.
I have always been the black sheep in just about every setting that I have been in, but in this case I completely felt like I was the black, blue, green, purple, orange and yellow sheep, too. Needless to say, after a few years there I put in for a building change, thinking this would make my life easier somehow. I am not opposed to change when it feels good, and this change did, so I embraced it. I enjoyed my new building, which is my current building and I have had my shares of ups and downs there too, but they have felt much much more manageable than it did in my first placement.
While at my current building I have had a beautiful daughter, gone through severe depression and anorexia related to that depression, fought through a failed marriage, separation, and divorce, survived dating (which is not for the faint of heart because there are a lot of psychos out there), met the love of my life, married him, birthed a new son, moved from my old house to my current home, and all the while have continued to grow as an educator, getting better with each year in terms of discipline, effectiveness, and classroom management.
Last year was the best year of my career in spite of a 2 year long building renovation in which I moved my classroom and kids 3 times in 9 months and taught in a gymnasium with 6 other classrooms and no ceiling. My children were beautiful receptive respectful little people. They were well-behaved and ready to learn. They were kind and considerate. Their families were supportive and kind and helpful. They made me feel good about being a teacher and I loved to be their teacher. I had 3 children on the autism spectrum but because of early intervention, these brave little ones weathered the noise and adapted to the moves and learned in spite of all of the changes we had to endure together. We were a team, "Team Thomas" I called us, and I was proud of them for being such wonderful strong little people.
It is really hard to teach Kindergarten and then come home to three children under the age of 8, two of which I share custody with my former husband. I am happily remarried but marriage is not easy and takes a lot of time and work and effort. And my home has 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 kitchens and 5 acres. I am so exhausted from the work that I put into each child in my classroom each day, the fires that I put out every day that don't have anything to do with teaching and that do have to do with teaching, all of the requirements that public educators in Pennsylvania have to fulfill from the government and administration, the amount of parent contacts that I make regularly, and the neediness of the ages of these children, that I feel like I have so little left at the end of the day to give to my most deserving beautiful family. I do try my best. I am rarely grumpy and short with them even though it is taking every fiber of my being to hold it together. Routines are my sanity here, and my own children are very receptive to those and helpful to me and love me through hard days. My husband is amazing and helpful and selfless. He keeps me sane.
The face of public education is changing every day. It is not the same animal it was 10 years ago. Or even one year ago. I have came to the realization that I do not have it in me to do what I do for 30 years. Or 20. In fact, I am going to stop at 13.
Last week I turned in my resignation, effective December 21, 2012. It was with mixed emotions that I did so. In a way I feel like I am failing my students by leaving mid year. In most ways I feel like I am failing my family by going to work every day. I am leaving behind 2 wonderful teammates and a lot of colleagues who I have grown so fond of over the years. They have loved me through those hard times. I will miss that daily contact.
My supportive husband has afforded me the ability to not go to work every day. That is not to say that we do not need my income. It is just to say that I need to take a step back, get centered again, and do something part-time. Part-time in my field is back in the subpool. Only this time it is by choice. I don't have to care about so many things that I currently bring home with me every day. That I can't turn off when I lay down to sleep at night. I can go to school, teach and then I can leave it all behind me. But before I sub, I am going to test the waters of being a stay-at-home-mom. I have never had this ability before in a full-time sense.I am going to enjoy volunteering in my children's classrooms and spending days in my jammies with my toddler. I am going to do laundry and clean my own house and make good meals that take all day long. And I can't wait to do it. I have started blogging as a means of staying connected to the things I love the most, teaching included. I have so much to share about my past experiences, and so much to share on my journey to what is next. And I look forward to you being part of it.
Congratulations on staying home! Maybe now we can get Annie and Jake together!
ReplyDeleteErin
I would love that ;)
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