Tag: jobs

Ice cream before dinner…why, yes!

Ice cream before dinner…why, yes!

I found out at the beginning of June that I wouldn’t be teaching at CCHS next year because I don’t hold an endorsement that allows me to teach Webpage Design and Programming classes and those are two classes that will be offered next year.  I’m not going to pretend that I wasn’t disappointed.  I was disappointed.  And, a lot.  I live right by my high school and I drive past it almost every single day.  To be honest, it just sucks (and sometimes you face these types of challenges on the way up the mountain of life).  I loved my job, and more than anything I loved inspiring my students.  I’m going to let my guard down a little bit more than normal in this post, and it will probably humanize me more to others and show you that life really is like climbing a mountain.  Just when you think your hard work, dedication, and passion will pay off that may not actually be the case (at least, not at the time when you think it should be.)  I poured my heart and soul into this last semester at CCHS (not to impress anyone), but because it’s part of my spirit.  I love giving back and that’s just what I chose to do at the high school by volunteering at the robotics competition, judging the high school talent show, passing out pizza to the freshman class, chaperoning prom, coordinating a backpack drive, and attending the Multicultural Festival as well as participating in it by going to each table to learn more about other countries. It was certainly a fully-filled adventure that I had (and a learning experience, too)!

I am strong though, so I knew I could and would move on (and that’s just what I did.)  I decided the evening I found out and the next to begin the process of cleaning out my classroom.  I didn’t want to waste any time getting it done. After all, I had so much in my classroom from team building games I created, a Food Truck auctioning project we did, risk management games we played, and the like.  But, one thing about cleaning my classroom was that it actually was a bit therapeutic.  I decided to clean out my classroom and then as an adult I chose to drown myself in some delicious ice cream before dinner. Yes, you read that correctly. I wanted (and probably needed) something to make myself feel better about what would come next.  That would be the ever so dreaded task of job searching.  One of the things I think I might hate most in life.  After all, I have 221 cover letters in my ‘Cover Letter’ folder on my jump drive and that isn’t even all of them.  I have been searching for jobs in my life more than I would like to even think about.  After all, my professional career is something I have dreamed about ever since I was a little adopted Indian girl.  It is something I have always taken great pride in.  And so, while my professional life certainly has been more like climbing a mountain, it has always taught me a lesson.  That lesson is that somehow everything seems to work out and that’s something I can rest assured about even if it does mean moving on to something new and different.  Remember, life isn’t easy, but it does provide lessons that we can learn from and carry with us through life.

Now that I have eaten my ice cream and packed up my classroom, it’s time to move on to what’s next.  And, there is always going to be something next (when and where is TBD).  So, now you can translate this into your own life’s adventures, the ups and the downs, and remember that moving on after disappointment is key to picking yourself back up and being better than you were before.

The cherry on top of my ice cream is that on my very last day one of my students from spring semester came up to talk to me.  I told him that I wasn’t rehired and that I wouldn’t be back at CCHS next year. He said, “I’m going to miss seeing you next year.”  He is one of those students that always said, “Hi, Mrs. Jamieson” in the hallways and always interacted with his teachers.  As he walked away after I told him good luck at his SkillsUSA competition that was coming up he said, “I liked having you as a teacher, Mrs. Jamieson.”

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Thinking beyond the obstacles!

Thinking beyond the obstacles!

My fiancé and I have been working on applications to teach in South Korea or some other place in the world (location will depend on what kind of teaching contracts we can find and negotiate).  It is a long and daunting process, but an incredible learning opportunity if we can make it come to fruition.  It will provide an experience in which we will be forced to think outside of the box, learn about another culture, and reach beyond our own horizons.  This is an adventure that is different than what is considered the “typical” life plan, but an opportunity that can provide an exceptional way to think beyond the American culture that we have both become accustomed to.

So often we follow on a path that society tells us to take or encourages us to follow.  We go to school, go to college (if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford it), get married, buy a house, and have kids. Typically, we are required or encouraged to work for 30-35+ years for some type of company (or companies) to support ourselves.  It may sound perfect to some, or even to most.  The problem is this isn’t always the reality of the chapters that life presents.  For starters, this plan isn’t for everyone. Some people change jobs endlessly throughout their life while others don’t want to follow the typical plan society has set forth. Regardless of how you feel, whether you like society’s plan or want to pave your own new path, life will present challenges and obstacles no matter whether you’re rich or poor, young or old, male or female, gay or straight, and race doesn’t matter either.

That’s because life has a way of being an adventure that is sometimes fun and sometimes not so fun.  It should be a reminder that you can plan your life or schedule as much as you want, but planning life can often leave you disappointed.  It rarely follows plans and always includes obstacles, challenges, and hurdles, most of which give us the opportunity to learn and grow.

So as we set out on this teaching adventure abroad, we most definitely will need to remember that the cultural and language differences will at times present challenges we will have to overcome.  But, that’s life.  We must all remember to put one step in front of the other and move forward despite life’s obstacles.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

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