A New Road?

I'm in absolutely NO rush to get back to work, not by any stretch. However, the more I think about returning to work (eventually?), the more I contemplate returning to the classroom.

It's a really weird place for me, because I've always wanted to be a teacher. From the time I was little and in school, I knew that teaching was what I was called to do. I never had any doubt about my future and when I went to school, I got my degree in elementary education. I went to grad school twice and got two Master's Degrees in education. 

I taught for ten years and they were great. I learned something new each year and found myself really getting better as I matured into a "master" teacher. When I was named my school's Teacher of the Year in 2010, it was followed by being named a semi-finalist as county TOY and then I was named a Scholastic Book Clubs Teacher Advisor. I literally went out on a total high. The best came at the end, just months before Gus entered my life.

When I decided to stay home and not return to the classroom, the decision was difficult, but God made it easy for me. My school year was starting at the beginning on July and I was still not able to leave MI with Gus due to ICPC (Interstate Compact for the Protection of Children) clearance not being granted yet. Without any other choice, I had to resign because I wasn't there to start the school year and didn't know when I'd be back to NC.

Now that I've been home with Gus for 2.5 years, I don't miss the classroom. I don't miss a lot of the things that come with being a teacher, and if I'm being honest with myself, should I ever return, I don't think my heart will be in it the same as before Gus.

So it leads me to wonder, if not teaching, then what?? 

I can't see myself doing anything that I'm not passionate about. Which leads me to think about what I am passionate about. Teaching is in my nature, and the desire to teach others will always be part of who I am. So is there something that I can do, that will allow me to teach others, and still be something that I'm passionate about?

My conclusion is one that I think is pretty awesome, but makes me question it at the same time. 

I am passionate about adoption.

I need to figure out how I'd take my desire to help others with adoption and use it for a career. Ideally, I'd love to work for an adoption agency. Maybe not as a counselor, since I don't have the social work background and don't want to go back to school, but maybe something else? I don't know.

I've thought about helping adoptive parents create their profile books. I've seen a few different companies that offer their services and after looking at their stuff, I've said to myself, "I could totally make that myself." I've even started working on a profile book for our second adoption, but I didn't want to put too much effort into it since I don't know how or when it'd be necessary. If we use an agency, they often have specific requirements. And with Gus's adoption, we made a book and it never even went to use.

So... I'm not in any rush to return to work, but I'd love to have some guidance about how I'd pursue working in the adoption world. I just want to help others and I'd love to have a job that I get paid to do it, but it's something that I love doing. That's how I always felt about teaching.

Any suggestions???

A Year of Gratitude #121

 

A Year of Gratitude #121: The Kindness of Others

So back in 2010, I was selected as a Teacher Advisor for Scholastic. I was one of 15 teachers from across the U.S. picked to serve on this board. I was beyond excited when I found out that I was in their top 50 and then had an amazing phone interview with one of their editors. When I was told that I was picked as an advisor, my life changed. 

Two of the editors from Scholastic flew to Raleigh and came to my school to take pictures for the day and just hang out and see what a day in my classroom was like. They provided lunch for my staff and spent lunch talking to as many teachers as they could. It was amazing.

Then in February, I was flown to NYC for an all-expenses paid trip! (You can read about my post from that trip with pictures.) I was in NYC from Thursday through Sunday and had the most amazing time. For the first time in my life, I was treated like a celebrity because I was a teacher. It was so great. I was showered with gifts galore, given money to spend in the Scholastic store and then wined and dined at some of NYC's greatest restaurants.

What did I have to do in exchange for this opportunity? I just had to go into a room (called the Fish bowl) and talk to the President of Scholastic, the CEO of Scholastic, several VPs and a whole slew of editors. The room was filled with over 100 big-wigs from Scholastic and they wanted to know what I thought about their business and how I thought it could be improved. On the second day, I sat in a computer lab with all the Scholastic's tech people and they watched me try to navigate a new online site for ordering books. They wanted to see how easy I found it, and any comments and feedback I had for them.

It was fun. On top of the "work" that we did, I got to go to the Early Show on CBS and was ON TV. I went to a Broadway show and had FRONT ROW seats to The Miracle Worker. I had the time of my life and it was all on Scholastic's dime. 

As if the experience wasn't incredible enough, the friendships that I formed that weekend were awesome. I bonded with three people in a way that I had not expected. Lisa, Jon, and Kristin were three friends that I made while there, and I spent a great deal of time with them. When we had free time, the four of us explored NYC and did a "Food Network Tour" and hit up some famous NYC food spots. I had to go to Gray's Papaya for a hotdog... Lisa wanted to hit up Dylan's Candy Bar, and Jon wanted to hit up Donut Plant. Kristin was from Brooklyn and had been there and done that... so she didn't have any particular place she wanted to go.

Anyway... I've stayed in touch with Jon and Lisa and for a while was staying in touch with Kristin (I haven't talked to her in a while though). Just the other day, I saw some paintings that Lisa posted on her FB wall. She's very talented and I posted that I'd love for her to paint me a picture for Gus's new room. Well... she got back with me and asked what I'd want and asked about colors and then on Friday, she sent me a text with a picture of a painting that she made for Gus!

It arrived today!

 

How cute is that??? I am so thankful that I had the chance to meet Lisa, but also thankful for the kindness of her making such a beautiful painting for Gus's dinosaur room!