Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. – Carl Sagan
During my restless period of the school year, most commonly the point when I start questioning if there is ‘more’ that can be done to reach ‘more’, I usually start to troll for job options by throwing out my resume’. This year, no different from the rest, I did the same and have gotten more bites than ever! I should be clicking my heels in glee that this is the case, but there is always this lurking feeling inside that makes me wonder if I am truly on the search for a more effective way to reach others or am I simply jumping ship? And if it is either, being that I haven’t made a change yet, what am I so afraid of about making a move? Change is good, right? Didn’t we talk about this in Embracing the Challenge? So what’s the problem kid?
Treading Water
Teaching takes so much out of an individual; ask anyone you know who teaches and they’ll tell you the same. It is a job for those with a spirit of servitude and endless forgiveness. Oh, yes, not to mention the ability to willingly go into work early to set up work stations and hands-on activities, then work a regular 8-hour workday, stay after to tidy up, charge up the technology stations for the next day, grade papers, answer e-mails and then go home to read 180 essays on ‘Themes Presented in Shakespeare’s Macbeth’; all this while correcting every missing or misplaced comma, period, uncapitalized letter, verb tense and inappropriate use of urban slang. Oooo, yes! Sign me up for not having a life. I jest really because the vast majority of us, I, in particular, have mastered time management and actually enjoy the topics taught. But that takes me back to the original question, jump ship or keep the boat afloat where I’m at?
The Trough of the Wave
Not sure about your experiences but I have found that opportunities to expand and grow outside of the classroom provide a decent salary increase but with that comes more time. Most opportunities presented attempt to lure us from a 10 month position to a now 12 month position, loosing vacation time and working at several different job sites, some often after the regularly scheduled day. I hear those non-teachers out there humphing at that 10 month comment… but if you only knew how much of a needed brain break there is, you too would understand. Sometimes, teaching kids is like being pecked to death by a thousand chickens. But I digress.
The Crest of the Wave
If I did this for the money, I could almost certainly tell you I couldn’t continue doing this job. The cost of living would force me out of the position. And time? Well, I’m already putting in the extra hours. The 10 month vs 12 month thing? Yeah, that’s kind of a big deal. But I think the larger scope of things its important to remember to ride the wave and weather the storm. Working on the frontline (in the classroom) really does have fabulous benefits. You can’t put a price on the homeless student that feels motivated to come to school everyday because ” I have your class today”, or the withdrawn kid peaking out from underneath their hoodie begins to takes off their earpods to listen to “The Kite Runner”. Admid the sleepy 7 a.m. groans, sarcastic jokes and playful razzing between friends, there are hugs, tears, promises to be better and invitations to “my awards assembly cuz I ain’t got nobody to go for me”.
In Conclusion
So, no, it’s not actually jumping ship nor is it going down with it. Its finding that perfect wave to ride on with out crashing in on itself but lifting us higher and keeping us afloat when we sometimes feel like all we are doing is sinking. There is always another wave that follows, its a matter of your willingness to look out into the horizon for it!