The Plan

In order for me to pursue teaching, I am going to have to go back to school. This involves a lot of extensive research on the different schools in the area and what programs they offer. It seems to be that I will need to get a Master's In Arts and Teaching (MAT) which will give me all of the classes and student internship to get me my certification.

It's going to be difficult to choose which program I want to pursue because there are some really good ones out there. I figure that maybe losing my job will give me more time to go to school. I'm still worried about how my bills are going to be paid, but I know that God is in control and He will work something out.

I guess right now I just need to focus on praying, trusting God, and listening to His guidance in what direction to go in. I'm definitely excited, nervous, and a little whelmed (but not overwhelmed). This new adventure will definitely be worth it!

My Calling

Since I've been given until mid-June to find a job and now have my Bachelor's degree in tow I have been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do for a career. For my whole life I wanted to teach. I love kids always for the most part and just knew that was my calling in life--that is until I actually looked into how to get my certification out here from taking my courses through an online college.

To say that I hit a road-block and was discouraged was an understatement. It seemed like there was no possible way for me to teach and afford my apartment. This is when I decided to look into human resources as an option even going so far as to take a business management class and human resources class. However, upon looking at the jobs to apply for it seems that I do not qualify for lack of experience...hmmmph.

Then I started looking into office administrative work. Not too exciting, but it would be something I'm good at and can pay the bills and give me the health insurance I've been lacking for over 2 years now. The problem with this is that it seems that not only do they want so much experience too, but most of the jobs I've applied for are really spam. I'm still not opposed to this type of work and will continue to apply for government positions, but if it doesn't work out...I won't be too upset.

The decision I've made has been made with a lot of thought, prayer, and talking it over with Phil. I've decided that I do want to teach. I want to have the summers, snow days, and breaks off with my kids. I want to be able to call in a sub and not worry about who is going to take care of my family when they are all sick. I want to be available and have a shorter day knowing that if Phil and I get married and start a family and he's still working in DC getting home late, then they would still have their mom around to take them to things and be there. These are things that have become increasingly more important to me.

I realize the road to teaching is going to be tough and pretty much suck for the next 2 years. I will have to rely on Phil and his family a lot for financial and emotional support if I can not find a school who will let me teach before I have my certification. I also know that if this is God's will, then He will provide a way for me and I won't have to worry about anything because my God is bigger than anything and can work miracles even in the worst circumstances.

So, for right now I am praying for guidance and direction in which path to take knowing that God will open the right door for me.

To Teach or not to Teach

I've been feeling very apathetic towards school lately. School used to be something that wasn't too bad, afterall, it would help in becoming a teacher when finished right? Unfortunately, if teaching is what I want to do, a master's degree is necessary to get certification. Let's set the record straight, a master's degree would be wonderful, really it would, but the program that is the best in the area is very hands on. This sounds great doesn't it? There's a catch...to complete the program, you must do one full day in the classroom for the first two semesters. The third semester is a 15 day internship and the last semester is a 9 week full-time internship (aka "student teaching"). I would be all on board for all of this, but it is all UNPAID. Just the thought of rearranging my schedule to take the classes, do the internships, schooling at night, and maintain my relationship, finances, and apartment seems a little overwhelming.

This has led me to think that maybe I do not want to teach afterall. Human relations or public administration both seem like good options for a master's degree, but it won't give the flexibility of teaching when I have a family to take care of. This really puts me into a predicament. I have no idea what to do with my life or what I want to do with it for that matter. Right now Phil and I are not married and that is a factor into what decision will be made. If he gets this job he's up for and we can get married and manage to do all of that, then teaching might be a good option.

Either way, I have until December 15th to make the decision to enter the program in the spring or not. Until then, there is a lot of thinking to do...