Guys!!!! I know it has been For. Ever. (basic white girl ftw) since I have updated anything here. That is partially because I had no ideas, and partially because I GOT A MASTER'S DEGREE AND A REAL TEACHING JOB!!! Look at me being all grown up and stuff. If you are bored by real life stuff, you can go ahead and stop reading now. I'm just going to shamelessly use this platform as a diary of my 'success' for a few minutes. I promise I'll post something that I find funny after a little bit. I have great ideas- just no awful drawings for them yet. So I spent most of the last year finishing my M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus of reading. That's super exciting to me because you all (all 2 of you) know how much I love to read. This degree has basically given me free reign to read all of the latest young adult fiction because it will "keep me current in my field." Haha. I love YA fiction. I finally earned that degree in August and then I started working as a substitute. That was fun. Anyway, I got a hot job tip from a friend. In her words, "These kids are BAD, and it is HARD." I was like, "Where do I sign up?" I went through the interview process and was hired in November. There are some serious perks to teaching, like holidays, and getting to know and help at risk youth, and Christmas break, and forming positive adult relationships, and Spring Break, and finally getting to see students come out of their shell or overcome an obstacle, and summer break.... haha. sense a theme? For real, though, I adore my students. They have their issues, and some of them are far deeper into psychology than I ever intended to delve, but they are kids. I get to go to work every day and feel like I am actually making some small difference in the world. Of course, life could come with fewer challenges, but I was bored by those 'easy' jobs that locked me into a tiny gray box 9 hours a day- where the only excitement was lunch and interactions often led to me citing Google as a worthy source of information. In this teaching position, I have become a friend and mentor to students. I have used my intuition to sense what specific students need- turning at least one of them from a vicious monster who wanted to spit on me to a child again who sought my attention. I have taken hits from a female student and taught that same student how to use shimmer to highlight her cheekbones. I have learned so much from them, and I can only hope they've learned half as much from me. But I was assigned as the math teacher, so that's questionable. For the first time- ever- I do feel like I've found my place in the world. I don't think I'll be there forever, but for now, I believe I can do some good. I've signed on for the next school year, and we'll see where it goes from there. I would absolutely LOVE to share some of my better stories with you all, but HIPAA is pretty specific on what I can and can't share. I will have to cloak any stories in a shroud of mystery and vaguery. (I made that word up... but I'm actually quite fond of it.) Since I wrote this, I have survived an entire school year in a self-contained classroom where I taught not just math but every subject to the best group of guys ever. They are clever, hilarious, and so freaking sweet. And next year, the excitement and growth continues because I'll be running an experiential learning lab for every class. I'm terrified and excited.
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