Top 3 items to bring to the Oregon Educator Fair: Hope, Creativity, and Determination (Resume comes in at #4)

Posted on Apr 13 2009 at 10:49 AM

It’s 9:40 PM Monday night, the night before the job fair, the night I should be anxious in anticipation, prepping my materials, practicing potential interview questions, picking out just the right “casual business attire”, printing extra copies of my resume on the special, 99-cents-a-page “fancy paper”… but there’s no fancy paper in sight, not even a nerve stirring inside my body… nothing. Okay, my alarm is set; I have a resume… that’s something. But the big-time job fair I’ve been thinking about and prepping for all year is suddenly not so big. With the economy and school budget dwindling fast, even the most hopeful educators are describing this year’s job fair as “more informational”. And as a language arts/social studies teacher, it translates to: no interviews; no hiring; sorry, better luck next time.
 
I imagine myself tomorrow, standing in a crowd of eager, talented new teachers—all hoping to find a classroom of their own for next year, all set on joining a supportive, professional learning community, all desperately needing to be employed—but what do you do when there’s just no opening? No spot for a passionate, creative, dedicated teacher? Believe me, I’ve asked myself this more than once over the past few months. And each week, as the possibility of not having a job to even apply for becomes more real, I cope by brainstorming alternatives. Okay, I think. If I can’t be a fulltime classroom teacher, then what? Here’s what I know for certain: I will be in schools; I will be working with kids; I will be researching and writing about best practice in teaching and learning; I will be speaking out on educational issues, ensuring educators are doing what’s best for kids; I will be furthering my career aspirations in the challenging and rewarding field of education. Because this is where I belong. And no matter what the dismal budget forecasts—jobs or no jobs—I will follow my passion. It will take creativity, determination, and a positive attitude. It will take courage navigating a new path, one that will still fulfill my personal and professional goals, but may look different than I expected. It will take faith in knowing that doors will open—opportunities that I could not have even anticipated or reached under normal circumstances—will arise.

So as I turn off my lamp tonight, I will fall asleep hopeful. Hopeful as I reflect on what I have discovered this year on my journey to becoming a teacher:

Life’s greatest challenges push us forward beyond any imaginable limits set by our mental capacity, hurling us into possibilities that we can only look back upon and wonder how we could have ever lived without.


And it is with this hope that I am able to curl up under my covers, close my eyes, and dream through a peaceful night’s sleep.

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Comments

I wish you the best By Unknown on May 13 2009 at 9:00 PM
I'm thinking about going back to school and becoming a teacher. Your blog is inspirational!

More important, you have a gift for writing. So, although you may not get a job in the schools, (with the economy), you have a talent for writing and that may be another brilliant path to pursue! Good luck,
Trish

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