The Difference a Year Can Make

October 9, 2012 

The day I had been waiting for and working towards for five years.

I knew I wanted to be a teacher my senior year of high school.

I student taught in the local elementary school with the most amazing and inspiring teacher I have ever met.

To this day, I still strive to be like her.

She shaped what kind of teacher I wanted to be, and encouraged me to continue my dream through her love and kindness.

 Where I went to school, we student taught in five different classrooms, our junior and senior year of college. 

It was a lot of work. 

A lot of sleepless nights. 

And a lot of lesson plans.

I worked with a few good teachers.

But more importantly, I learned what kind of teacher I didn't want to be.

I took a little bit here and there, and eventually determined my teaching style.

With every project, lesson plan or supervisor observation, I longed for the day when I had my classroom.

 Some days it seemed extremely far off.

Like it would never happen.

And adding on the extra pressure of hearing there are no teaching jobs even available, was extra gut wrenching.

But nevertheless, I applied. And applied. And applied some more.

Tons of counties. Letters to each principal. Whatever I had to do, I was doing.

So when I graduated college, with no job and no interviews set up, I was extremely distraught.

Honestly, I had a difficult time appreciating the accomplishment of graduating college because there was such a big unknown ahead of me.

Starting college, I didn't expect to graduate and not have a job. 

But that's what I did.

I was terrified.

I worked hard all summer, continuously applying for jobs, but I heard nothing.

Eventually desperation set in as the beginning of the school year approached.

I began applying for very small private schools and daycares.

The dreaded 'd' word - daycare.

My favorite interview was when I was told I wasn't qualified to teach pre-school.

Luckily for me, the state of Georgia thinks otherwise.

At this point, I wanted something to keep me busy. Something to bring in money. And something to help me gain experience. 

By the end of July, I found a job at an upscale daycare/school.

I applied for the Lead Teacher position, but was given the Assistant Teacher position due to lack of "experience." I took the job, knowing it wasn't my dream job, but knew it would lead me to where I wanted to be. When I would get there, who knew.

The Lead Teacher I worked under had just graduated college like me.

{Somehow she was more qualified - think about that for second will ya.}

She was a nut.

And that's saying it nicely.

Working for someone who was unappreciative of my effort and unaware of my abilities, made me push even harder to become the teacher I worked so hard to be.

A HUGE break came about a month into me working as an Assistant Teacher.

I had an interview at a school close to mine and Cody's house.

It would be perfect.

As I'm sitting in the office before my interview, I hear the girl in there before me.

They knew her personally.

They said they'd be calling her soon.

And guess who was next.

Little ol' me.

No chance.

Of course I still interviewed, but knowing I had no chance of getting the job, was disappointing. Especially after getting all worked up and excited that I may have had a way out. I drove back to my school after my interview, crying the majority of the way. 

About a month later, kinda forgetting about finding a job somewhere else, settling into my assistant teacher salary (that 40 cent raise was pretty enticing), I got the call.

The call for a teaching position in the hardest county to get into.

THOUSANDS apply, a few hundred get in.

And they wanted to interview me!

I thought I bombed the interview.

I figured I had no chance.

They said I'd hear back by the next day, Friday.

Nothing.

The longest day of my life.

And now I had to wait through the weekend!

Talk about nerve wracking.

Monday morning came, and I kept my phone on me all day at work.

I received a call around 9am, from an unknown number.

Voicemail.

My break wasn't until 1 that day, I couldn't leave my kids.

The longest four hours of my life drug on, and finally I had my chance.

I remember sitting in my car, calling the number back, and hearing the words, "We would like to offer you the fifth grade position."

Instant yes.

But also, instant tears.

My break.

I did it.

I made it.

My classroom.

My rules.

My plans.

 

 

 October 9, 2012

One year ago today exactly, I became a teacher.

A day I'll never forget.