SOL 3/15 Living the Dream?

  15 of 31 for the Slice of Life Challenge from Two Writing Teachers

In our weekly team meetings, we often have a question of the day.  Something along the lines of "What was the best part of your Christmas (Winter) break?" or something silly like "What would your pro-wrestler name be?"  We go around the table and give our answer.  Since we are a pretty tight knit group, we can usually predict what is going to be said.

This week our question of the week was "What career would you choose to start if you no longer were a teacher?"  Because we had so much business on the agenda, we didn't get to go around the table like usual.  I started to think about this question after leaving the meeting. What would I be?

I taught sixth grade for two years, and then I took a break from teaching for 8 years after the birth of my son.  Growing up, I really only had one career choice. I was going to be a teacher like my mom and dad.  In the back of my head, though, I always had a part of me that really just wanted to be a mom.  I was always a little jealous of the moms who could come to school and help out, the moms that were home to make the after-school snacks.  I wanted to be that mom for my kids. I did not want my baby's firsts to be seen by the daycare provider.  I wanted to see all of those moments and celebrate them with my kids.  I was very blessed to life the life of a stay-at-home mom with my three babies.  I was very lucky to teach at their preschool and be home to mold them into children with morals and values that we hold true. I dabbled in retail and positions at my church, but I was able to be home most of the time.  After a few years, my children were old enough to go to school, and I found myself once again yearning to be back in the classroom.

Because jobs were very scarce in my area, it was hard to get back into teaching.  I accepted a mid-year position as an instructional assistant in our high school, which I really loved.  It allowed me to watch various teaching styles and work with kids. When a position at our middle school opened, I jumped at the chance to move down.  Middle school is truly where I have always been the most comfortable as a teacher. Working with these kids is both challenging and entertaining.  I never know what is going to happen in my classroom...even if I think I am prepared for anything.

The question of the week got me thinking though...what would I do if I no longer taught?  While many things have run through my mind...nursing, retail, consulting...I'm not really sure what my choice would be.  I have always had a small part of me that wanted to own a small bookstore and teacher supply store.  I could help teachers, but wouldn't have to deal with red tape and helicopter parents. Oh well...unless I take that leap to leave teaching, I will keep that little dream tucked away, until the next time the question roles around.