Good Morning, Class!
Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a teacher. I used to play endless hours of school with my friends and by myself. There are several teachers in my family. It kind of seemed like a no-duh that I would become one one day. When I told my band director in high school, who was a mentor to me, that I wanted to be a teacher, he said, "Don't do it; you'll never make any money at it."
So I didn't do it. Now, I find myself with a BA in Classical and Medieval Studies and working in education on the sidelines, as it were, as a level four bureaucrat. I just took the Myers-Briggs personality assessment on Johnny Yen's blog, and what did I discover? I'm an eNFj, AKA the Teacher Idealist. According to the website, there are only 2 to 3 percent of the population with this personality and they are uniquely suited to the teaching profession. Way to go, BAND DIRECTOR. Thanks for your stellar advice.
And way to go ME, for letting one guy direct my future.
This little case study will stand as a lesson for all of you out there: NEVER MAKE LIFE-CHANGING DECISIONS WITHOUT CONSULTING AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE, ONE OF WHOM SHOULD BE A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY WHO KNOWS YOU WELL.
Class dismissed.
Labels: Advice, Ms. Crankypanties
posted by Jenny Jenny Flannery at
11:58 AM
8 Comments:
you soo crazeeee!! you DAILY hear the battles I put up with and you STILL think this is worth doin? Maaaan, y'all must WANT 2-B po'!!
Po' AN' frusty-rated...
Monday, January 08, 2007 12:30:00 PM
BO: I am poor and frustrated. But, I've spent my professional career zig-zagging around and always ending up in the training department. There is so much uncertainty in my life.
I just wish I would have had the couraged to follow my heart and my mind and done what I meant to do. I'm such a putz.
Monday, January 08, 2007 12:36:00 PM
Don't beat yourself up. Get bsck into it and do what you want.
I hope to communicate the same things to my sons when they are making these decisions.
Monday, January 08, 2007 1:30:00 PM
Well, Phil, I suppose I could do that. But you know how it is with a four-year old and a two-year old; it's very difficult to find time to work on your self. Hopefully when they are in school, I can return to school too.
I'm probably better off where I am, in actuality. I work at a university and that's where most people who teach want to end up.
Just like with religion, I've taken the road less traveled. To paraphrase Dirk Gentley, I may not have ended up where I wanted to go, but I usually find myself in a place I need to be.
Monday, January 08, 2007 2:00:00 PM
Hey, it's never to late to make a change. I started teaching in my thirties, and am planning another career change.
Monday, January 08, 2007 2:01:00 PM
I know from experience that you are a wonderful teacher. It may still be in your future.
Monday, January 08, 2007 6:17:00 PM
I'm an INFJ, which I think is the Guardian Idealist. And it's never too late to be a teacher if that's what you really want to do. Follow your bliss!
But Dirty, while it's true that the school day itself is only 7 hours or so, it is impossible to do the work of a teacher in that time alone. All the teachers I know work upwards of 60 hours a week. And if they don't, you wouldn't want them teaching your kids. As for the summers off, we don't have school during the summer, but we don't get paid to work then so it's not like some cushy paid vacation. A lot of teachers work summer jobs to make ends meet, and most teachers work on curriculum and lesson planning over the summer.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007 6:58:00 AM
I think you should ask your gut.
Do it, do it! Teaching is fun.
Saturday, January 13, 2007 2:00:00 PM
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