Truth is, I just don't have a lot of exciting things to write about or that I think anyone would be even remotely interested in reading. Or sometimes I would have something exciting to write about, but the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and type on the computer.
So...I've decided to make my blog about one of the few things I can talk a LOT about. Teaching. I know, I'm lame. Its okay. I can accept it.
I feel in my short teaching career, I have had a lot of interesting things happen. Lots of great kids, a couple not so great ones, and I have stories out the wahzoo. So here I go.
I'm going to break these up daily, so I don't overwhelm everyone with a ridiculously long post. See my Bahamas trip recap below for a prime example of a ridiculously long post.
So tonight, I'll start with how I got into teaching.
I did not go the traditional route into teaching. I had/have plenty of friends who's life dream was to be a teacher. They were/are all super creative, they loved kids, it was just natural. If you would have told me when I was in high school, or college, or even 5 years ago that I would become a teacher, I would've told you that you were nuts. I didn't see myself as being very patient, and I wasn't all that crazy about high school kids. What did I have in common with them?
I had tried a stint in teaching 9th grade sunday school at our church in Florida and that didn't turn out very well. It wasn't bad, I just felt awkward, I didn't feel like I connected well with the kids. I'm now blaming it on the fact that they were freshman and freshman are just awkward all in themselves. ;)
My first job out of college was my true dream job. Motorsports marketing. I got paid to go to NASCAR races, drag races and driving schools. It was a blast. The pay sucked, but the perks of the job definitely made up for it. The company ended up going under (that's a WHOLE other blog I could write about) and we were all forced to find new places of employment. Seriously, how do you find a job when you've just had your dream job?
I was blessed in that I found a job very quickly. I started working for a software company, basically in their customer service department. It was another small company, only about 10 of us. I absolutely LOVED the people that I worked with, but the job itself? I pretty much hated. Okay, hate is a pretty strong word, so maybe not HATE. But I was bored out of my mind. They loved me because I was always asking for something to do, but I was slowly coming to the end of my rope. I learned real quick that a "sit behind the desk and wait for the phone to ring" was not the job for me.
In my job I was constantly having to help people with their computer. Not just with the software that our company provided, but with just about everything, from how to place an attachment on an email (no, I am not joking), to using any number of Microsoft office products, to helping people get their printer back working (which 9 times out of 10 the correct answer was to restart your computer). It definitely taught me patience.
The people I worked with also thought I was somewhat of a genius because I could do all sorts of fancy things with Microsoft office. Things that I learned in my high school computer class, which was one of the few classes that I truly enjoyed in high school.
So I thought to myself, why don't I just try teaching? I'll make more money (yes, sad but true), Nathan and I will have the same schedule, summers off, 2 weeks at Christmas, no crazy 290 traffic. Why not? So I enrolled in the alternative certification program that Nathan used and off I went.
The alternative certification program was necessary, but completely worthless in my eyes. Did it prepare me for the classroom? Not really, but it was one of those necessary evils. Anyways...
I finished the program, passed my tests with flying colors, and started looking for teaching jobs. I figured Cy-Fair ISD would be the place to be considering I'm a product of the Cy-Fair school system and Nathan was teaching at Jersey Village High School at the time. But I applied just about everywhere to keep my options open.
I had a rather awkward interview with the HR person at Klein ISD. Truth be told, at one point in the interview I wanted to get up and tell the guy thanks, but I don't think this is going to work. Until he said "Tell me about teenagers". I had no idea what to say and so I just said "I think they WANT to learn, but they don't know how". I thought it was a really dumb answer but he seemed to like it and the interview did a complete 180 and he started calling people while I was sitting their in his office.
I ended up getting an interview at Klein Oak High School, not long after that awkward interview. This interview went MUCH better and I felt really confident about it afterwards. But still, who would want to hire me? I've had ZERO teaching experience, I hadn't even subbed, and only spent a day observing classes.
My mom had taught me at a young age, that when you want a job, persistence is the key. So I kept my name in the loop with emails to the assistant principal in charge of hiring. He had said that they would be calling for 2nd interviews soon.
A few days later I was at the software job and missed a call from the assistant principal, Mr. Dristas. I was all excited because I thought I was getting a 2nd interview. So I got my pen and sticky note pad all ready to write down the date and time and then called him back.
I will never forget Mr. Dristas' exact words: "We'd like to know if you'd...(slight pause) like the job?" I.was.shocked! What? They actually want me? ME? Do they realize I've never stepped foot in a classroom before?
My exact response was "(Pause)...Umm...yes, yes I would!" And I believe he laughed at me after that.
My FIRST interview I got the job? Out of all those people who I'm sure had much more experience than me? I didn't even have hook-ups in the Klein district. It was most definitely a God thing.
And that's where my journey into teaching began.
