{NOTE: If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’re going to want to view this one one the actual blog – assuming, of course, you wish to view it at all.}
Most of us at one time or another have considered leaving the classroom and pursuing other career options – especially during, say… March. It’s during this stretch that different grass most often seems so much greener.
Don’t make big decisions during March.
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But I get it – sometimes you wonder what else might be out there. Maybe a different gig could be just as fulfilling… heck, maybe the right opportunity could be MORE fulfilling – if it’s really your calling…
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For those of us in the white collar world, the idea of working with your hands – maybe sweating a bit – does have some appeal.
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Everyone thinks they could teach – better than any of us actually DOING it – but we’re not the only ones who deal with such silliness. Imagine what it’s like to be an author… “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about writing a book myself…”
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Coding is the new ‘business degree’ (how many times have we been trapped in the ‘if only we could get every child coding…’ discussion?) It must pay more than teaching, and surely they’re richly fulfilled every damn day, right?
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Maybe a balance between creativity and practical production – say… something in fine foods?
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Then again, why be practical? We’re teachers – if we’re going to leave one idealized gig, why not do so for another? Maybe something more generally romanticized, if a bit anachronistic?
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Perhaps even something of which every kid used to dream at one time or another –
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OK, maybe a little more practical than that. No need to leave one profession before testing the waters on another, right? Maybe the right summer gig…
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I’m pretty sure I’d have to take my shirt off for that one, and that’s not something any of us want to see. Surely I could see the country full dressed…?
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Did I say see the country? Why not the world?! And while serving my country… {Jay Warning: One adults-only word ahead.}
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If irony is your thing, you might consider the chosen profession of our FORMER Superintendent. I tell my students I became a teacher in order to make young people suffer – this could serve that function as well…
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Then again, not a fan of saliva. Maybe a medical professional of another variety?
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At the very least I’d like to be in charge of something. Maybe have a cool hat…
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*SIGH* Maybe the problem is thinking in terms of ‘professions’ and ‘careers’ anyway… perhaps something more – shall we say – ‘transcendental’? {Skip this one, Jay – vitriol & obscenities ahead…}
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I’d wrap up with something about staying put and finish with a ‘teacher’ song, but let’s be honest – they’re all creepy as hell. “Teach Me Tonight,” “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” and all those songs from the 70’s about how horrible schools and teachers are to children. It’s almost as if kids who do great within the confines of the system are less likely to go on to become rock stars…