When I grow up

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Long story (but it feels short): A year and a half ago, I quit the job that brought me to California and started working part-time in a group home with developmentally disabled kids. Working with kids was not something I particularly wanted to do, but I was desperate to get back into human services, and I’d worked (briefly) with developmentally disabled adults and mostly enjoyed it, so I felt qualified. A couple of months after I started, I was making two of the kids do yard work as punishment, and one of them said to me, “Why are you being mean, Andrew? Usually you’re the nice one!”

I said, “I want to be the nice one, but my job is to make sure you follow the rules, and when you don’t, this is what I have to do.”

“Oh,” she said, and went back to raking leaves, but I saw the light shift in her eyes. She understood what I’d said. She got it.

I drove home that night cheering. I’d explained something to a child, and SHE’D GOTTEN IT! I didn’t realize, but it was like the first hit of a powerful drug. I remember saying out loud to myself, “I want to be a teacher!” but I didn’t believe it. It was like saying I wanted to be a rock star; it sounded nice, but it was so far from my experience of who I was, it didn’t even qualify as a pipe dream. But I did realize that working with kids was actually what I loved about my job.

Six months ago, a colleague suggested I could work as a substitute teacher to make more money on the side. I started the process of becoming a sub, but there was more paperwork and red tape than I realized. A few weeks ago, finally qualified as a sub but without having set foot in a classroom, I accepted a job as a teacher’s aide instead.

On my third day, one of the teachers I work with told me I should teach professionally. Yesterday, I met with a recruiter for CalStateTeach, an online teacher certification program of CSU. Today, I’m starting the application. If everything works out, I will be a teacher in my own classroom in the fall next year.

I’m thirty-seven years old. I finally know what I want to be when I grow up.

2

Very nice sir!

I grew up in a family of educators (I’m the only one who isn’t). There is such great value to folks who, for lack of a better term, did some time in the ‘outside world’ before teaching. You are likely to have greater passion and maturity from the beginning, and a bit more world experience.

Congratulations, and good luck!

PS: Never Grow Up!

3

Fantastic. Good for you for not ignoring that feeling.

4

Congratulations.

I’m a bit envious. I am older than you and I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I’m going through the process right now.

5

Cheers! Your calling found you. The kids whose lives you touch are going to be the better for it.

6

Congrats & good luck!

7

Nice!
I’m not a kid person…but for obscure historical reasons, I coached a JV volleyball team for a few years. Some of my best memories are of moments that I could see mental and emotional growth from my players. It’s a good feeling when you know you impacted someone.

Good luck with it!

8

That’s awesome! I’m a bit older than you and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I’m hoping by the time I finish my degree I’ll figure it out. :slight_smile:

9

+1 congrats on finding your calling.

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Thanks for all the support and kind words, everyone. I’ve been busy applying to the program, and it looks like it’s actually going to happen!

I hated school when I was a kid, mostly because I was never able to fit in socially or adjust to the institutional demands. (If I was in school today, I’d probably be put on the autism spectrum or given some related diagnosis. I don’t think that reflects what was actually going on with me, but at least schools today have some tools for dealing with the sorts of developmental and emotional issues I faced.) I think that’s a big reason I rejected the idea of teaching for a long time. I also had more than a few bad teachers, who soured me on the profession. Looking back, though, I realize I had just as many really wonderful teachers. I recently connected on facebook with one of my sixth grade teachers who had been on my mind lately because her class popped into my head as soon as I started thinking about what I hope my classroom will be like someday. It was really great to be able to tell her how much she inspired me when I was an obnoxious, emotional twelve-year-old and how much I hope to emulate her today!

I always imagined that working with kids, especially in a public school setting, would be disempowering, that I’d see kids with my problems—or other problems—and be unable to help them, and that I’d feel trapped and victimized by the same institutional realities that made it impossible for my parents or teachers to help me. Instead, I find the opposite is true. I find it incredibly empowering to be able to step into others’ childhoods as an adult and find myself doing all the things that, however small, did make a difference in my life, and to try to avoid all the pitfalls and inadequacies that I felt so helpless before once myself. I know I won’t win every battle (perhaps not even most of them) but I never thought I’d find the battle itself so engaging.

Of course, I’ve only been doing this a very brief time, and haven’t really even started yet! Someone remind me of this thread a few years from now when I’m posting about how burned out I feel and I’m wondering why i ever wanted to teach!

11

Congratulations! It’s always nice to figure out what you really want to do with yourself.

I wish I could. :smiley:

12

What a nice, happy post. Congrats on finding your true calling. From what you wrote, you have a lot to offer, and will be a great asset to students.

As I get older, my dream job would be working with the elderly, more as an advocate, then a health care worker.

Thanks to reading this, I might just look into job opportunities in that field.

You are an inspiration.