Running into Students Outside of School: Awkward times for all!

This is an entry I have been wanting to write for a while, but I had to wait until I had a little more teaching experience - and a greater collection of tales to tell! - to provide readers with the high-quality awkward stories that an entry like this deserves. A huge shout out goes to the 2014/2015 school year for providing me with two of the five tales in this entry. This entry is dedicated to you, man!

Question of the hour:

Is it ideal for one to live in the community in which one teaches? 

This has been a long-debated issue for educators everywhere. On one hand, living and teaching in the local community saves gas money for the commutes to and from work. Living in the area also enables educators to sleep in a little bit relative to those who must commute from further distances and shows that the educator has so much faith in the local school system that he/she chooses that system for the education of his/her children.

Living in close proximity to students comes with a price, though. A teacher runs the risk of running into students everywhere outside of work, whether that teacher is jogging in the park, dining at a restaurant, or buying food at the store. It doesn't sound that bad, right? How about if that teacher is jogging in the park shirtless or wearing short shorts? What if that person is at a restaurant with his/her embarrassing/outspoken relatives and/or drinking alcohol? What if that person is buying sanitary products at the store? Are these really times in which that person wants to turn around and hear, "Hey, Mr./Ms. So-and-so! What's up?"

There have really only been a handful of times in which I have run into students outside of school, as I have never taught in the community in which I lived. I prefer to withhold a lot of information about my life outside of school from my students in order to avoid breaking the professional barrier between teacher and students. Therefore, it is my personal choice to stay out of the local community and live elsewhere. That makes the few times I have run into students outside of school rather unexpected, especially given the settings in which I ran into these students. But alas, enough talk: you probably are more interested in hearing specific stories.

Here they are: the times I have run into students outside of school, in order from my least awkward to my most awkward experience.

#5: At J.C. Penney

I was walking around J.C. Penney one evening with my mom. We were looking at coats. One of my students from the learning center was there with her friend, and she said hello. That's basically all there is to that story. Not that amusing, but a little unexpected nonetheless.

Moving on...

#4: At an ice cream store

It was May of the year in which I did my student teaching. I had moved home from Ann Arbor and was living with my parents, just one city north of my student teaching placement. It had been a rather stressful work day, and my mom took me out for an ice cream cone after dinner. After we had gotten out of the car and were approaching the ice cream shop, I saw a teenage girl staring at me, and I realized it was one of my students. We waved hello, and then I awkwardly stood in line with my mom, unsure of whether I should have a conversation with my mom about "real life" topics with a student within ear shot.

#3: While carrying a plate of cookies in the streets of Ann Arbor

This story is my favorite. Now, I am aware that most people find me a little odd, whether you are my student or one of the people who knows me as "Stephanie." I'm sure the following experience reinforced this belief for one of my students.

U of M, finals week, April 2012. It was my first year after I completed my master's degree, and I was back in Ann Arbor visiting a friend of mine who was a U of M senior. She wanted to take a study break, so she invited me to her apartment to help her bake cookies. Our idea was that we would walk around campus, find our friends who were studying for finals, and surprise our friends with free cookies. We baked a couple dozen cookies and set foot on an adventure to brighten the lives of stressed students with these delicious, golden edibles!

We walked around campus and passed out cookies to our friends. We passed out cookies to homeless people. We even got hungry and passed out cookies to ourselves! (Sorry I'm not sorry!) As we walked down State Street on the final stretch of our cookie delivery journey, I heard a voice calling my name - but not my first name, my teacher name! I raised my eyebrow and looked around. Who on earth would be on U of M's campus? At that point in time, all of my former students were in high school or younger!

It turns out that one of my students that I had taught the previous year was at U of M for a one-day high school program. She was in the car with her dad and baby brother, and they were parallel parked on State Street. I gave all three of them cookies and explained that passing out cookies to random people was my weekend job. We all had a good laugh.

The best part is that I am pretty sure she believed me, and I'm sure she had great stories to tell her classmates at school that Monday. In fact, she probably still believes that every weekend, I walk around Ann Arbor passing out cookies to strangers. Best. Rumor. EVER!

#2: At Comicon

This story could have EASILY been #1, had I decided to dress up in a costume this year. I have been to the local Comicon a total of twice in my life: in 2013 and 2015. When I went in 2013, I was with a group of friends that included my sister, my sister's college roommate, and two of my best female friends from high school. We all decided to have the full Comicon "experience" by dressing up in costumes - because hey, why not go all out? This time, however, I was returning to Comicon as a full-time teacher. I did not believe it was likely that I would see any of my students at Comicon, since the event took place about forty-five minutes away from the community in which I worked, but I wanted to play it safe and not dress up in a costume just in case...

Well, I guess a couple of my students made the commute with their families because I did see one of my students there, and a different student told me the following Monday that he was there as well. I was counting my lucky stars that the time I ran into students at Comicon was NOT the time I was dressed up in costume! I have no problem with my students knowing that I go to Comicon, but with their easy access to Smart Phones and the Internet, I'm going to have to make it a habit of going sans costume from now on.

Finally...

#1: At the water park

This story could have been much, much more awkward and embarrassing than it was, but I'm just going to throw this out there: it is the fear of every teacher to randomly run into students at water parks and lakes, places where people normally wear bathing suits. That's just awkward soup in a bowl for everybody involved!

On the 4th of July this year, my friends and I decided to go to a water park. We spent several hours of that afternoon going on water slides, lazy rivers, and wave pools - naturally, all as we were wearing our bathing suits. As I was waiting outside of the changing room for my friends to finish changing back to pedestrian clothes after our time at the park was over, I saw one of my students from this past school year walk by with a group of friends. I had my sunglasses on and my hair up, so the student did not recognize me, and I decided it would be very awkward to approach the student and say hello, so I continued sitting and waiting for my friends. I was just thankful that this did not happen earlier in the day when my friends and I were running around the park in our bathing suits.

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There you have it: awkward tales of random student sightings outside of work. At some point in the next few years, perhaps I will revisit this entry and compose an update with more recent stories, especially because - dun dun DUUUUUN! - I received a new, out-of-state job for the 2015/2016 school year, and I am going to be living in the local community for this job. Hurray, potential for new awkward experiences...?

What do you think, teacher friends: Do you prefer living in the community in which you teach, or do you prefer to distance yourselves from work? Have you ever run into students outside of work? Where was it? What happened?

Here We Go Again...

The 2014/2015 school year is officially over, and I once again find myself without a job for the fall. Yes, this is apparently becoming a yearly ritual for me. Last year, the school at which I was employed shut down; this year, the two campuses of the school at which I was employed consolidated, fewer teachers were needed, and I was the last one hired - and therefore, the first to go. Fortunately, I anticipated this situation, and I began applying for new jobs for next school year about a month ago.

So far, I have had a handful of interviews. Now that I have four years of experience (1.5 of which were full time) under my belt, I am receiving more calls for interviews than ever before. No job offers yet, but I have made two second-round interviews as of today, which is much better luck than I had applying for jobs last year at this time. I know that most schools do their hiring around August, so I will just be patient, enjoy my summer, and keep applying. My co-workers at the job I am leaving have been nothing but supportive, and the principal, dean, and math teacher have offered to write me glowing letters of recommendation. For this, I am truly thankful.

Right now, I am feeling conflicted. On one hand, I am optimistic about finding work for the fall (and maybe I should be much more worried, since I will have neither a salary nor insurance after early August if I am not employed.) Maybe that work will be in a different area of Michigan or in another state. Maybe it will be the start of a new chapter of my life; I think I'm due for a new, positive chapter after the stresses of the last couple of years. All I know is that I care about kids and teens, enjoy educating them, and want to continue doing that in the years to come.

On the other hand, though, this field is so unstable. I'm in my mid-20s now, and I need to be saving up for retirement. I am not married, I do not have children, and now would be the perfect time to go back to school so I can earn a degree in a field in which I can make a more substantial amount of money. So many of my classmates from my teacher education master's program have already left the field because of the working conditions, and in many ways, I don't blame them. We can all say that we do this for the kids, which most of us do (we ALL should!), but there comes a point when a lot of us realize that the stresses of the profession are too much. As much as it pains me to say this, there comes a point when we have to think of ourselves. The worst part is that under these conditions, students are losing quality teachers because many quality teachers do not want to stay in such an unstable profession, which ultimately sets amazing, capable young students up for failure. Such a tragedy for all parties involved...

...But alas, I am trying not to think about this harsh reality. For now, that is. I need a break now more than ever before. This summer, I plan to relax and explore my own hobbies, talents, and strengths. It has truly been a while since I have taken the time to relax and be me - and maybe figure out who, exactly, that person is. I will continue to apply for full-time jobs in teaching and to see where that leads, but I am also applying for full-time jobs in other fields for the sake of exploring other opportunities to use my gifts and talents for the benefit of the greater good of humanity. (Too optimistic?)

Bring it on, life, you unpredictable little beast!

My Reaction to #IWishMyTeacherKnew

I grew up in an upper-middle-class suburb where the average household income was around $80,000 per year. The general rule for my hometown was that if your family could afford to live there, either one or both of your parents were a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. I attended the local public high school. 99% of our 500-student graduating class completed high school, and over 90% of the class went to college. There were 23 National Merit Scholars in my graduating class alone. The average composite ACT score was a 24, but most of the students in AP classes scored in the 30s; in fact, one of my best friends scored a perfect 36.

In high school, my main priority was to earn high grades. My parents constantly stressed the importance of education. They were not happy when I received grades lower than an "A". All of my friends' parents felt the same way, and therefore, my friends faced similar academic pressures. A vast majority of the parents in the community wanted to play an active role in their child's education, and therefore, parent-teacher conferences were always packed with parents wanting to discuss their child's progress with the teachers. I grew up thinking that this level of parental involvement and concern about academics was normal.

In addition to this, I never faced problems at home. I always felt safe at home. Both of my parents had stable careers. My family was never in debt. Neither of my parents ever used drugs or consumed alcohol. My sister and I got along well. My parents supported my hobbies and liked my friends. Until I was 21, all four of my grandparents were still alive and lived about twenty minutes away, so they also played an active role in my childhood. 

My biggest fears were not getting first chair in band and not getting into my dream college. Surely, this was all part of the "normal" childhood experience, right? All kids faced the same struggles and had the same opportunities I did, right?

A majority of people, particularly children and teenagers who don't have as much life experience, are conditioned to believe that the circumstances in which they grow up are the norm, and that all kids and teenagers face the same struggles and have the same luxuries they do. I was no exception to this state of mind.

Imagine my culture shock, then, when I started teaching at schools in "high needs" areas. For the last two school years, I have taught at two charter schools. The first charter school (grades K-8) was near a large city, where 99% of our students qualified for free or reduced lunch. When that school closed at the end of last school year, I had to find a new job. My current job is at a charter high school (grades 9-12) near a different large city, where about 70% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

When I saw the anonymous notes from students posted under the hashtag "#IWishMyTeacherKnew", several of my students from both this and last school year immediately came to mind. These notes are genuine cries for help from children living in poverty, children who feel like they neither have a voice nor the power to change their lives for the better. For many of these children, school is the best part of the day; it provides them with the structure and even - dare I say it? - the love that they don't necessarily get at home. For some of them, the only meals they eat are the free breakfasts and lunches served at school.

When a student places his/her head down on the desk or seems genuinely disengaged with a lesson, a young teacher's first instinct is to assume that the student is simply bored and just does not feel like paying attention - after all, that was mostly why students put their heads down at my school growing up. In the setting of a "high needs" school, however, a student's disengagement could have to do with a number of other factors that could indicate a much larger problem than mere boredom.

Although I never had the brilliant idea of asking my students to complete the sentence "I wish my teacher knew...", I would like to share a few of the rough student life situations that have come to my attention over the last two school years:

• Homelessness (several students)
• Abandonment by one or both parents
• Abuse from a parent or sibling (the proper CPS paperwork was filed)
• Death of a parent or sibling
• Parent facing severe depression/alcoholism. Student acts as "head of the household"
• Parent deported to Mexico (several students)
• One or both parents in jail (I have found some of the mugshots online, sadly)
• No food at home
• Too many kids in the house. Does not receive enough attention from mom and/or dad.
• Parent diagnosed with cancer or other terminal disease
• House fire destroyed everything
• Travels from house to house, family member to family member, because nobody seems to want to raise him/her
• Student will be kicked out of the house if he/she does not finish high school by age 18
• Student works after school. Student is sole provider of income in the family

...and these are just some of the tough life situations students faced while they were students in my class. Who is to say what some of these students and their families endured beforehand? What have some of my former middle school students from last year endured since I last saw them? These thoughts can be very unsettling, but they are thoughts that circulate through my mind every day.

I greatly admire Kyle Schwartz for bringing her students' "I wish my teacher knew..." responses to national attention. Not only does bringing these struggles to national attention encourage the general public to stop and think about the unspoken hardships of many students living in poverty, but it also reinforces a general life lesson: 

"Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle." -Plato

I try to be lenient for certain students when it comes to homework deadlines. I work out individual plans with some students so that they could work around their life circumstances to find a way to be a successful learner in my class. I try to show my students that I care about them by getting to know them.

Prior to becoming a teacher, I lived solely in my middle-class bubble. Like others who have fully lived life in either the middle or upper class, I was aware that poverty existed and that there were thousands of men, women, and children in the U.S. alone who faced it. Now that I am teaching, however, I associate specific names and faces with these rather unfortunate circumstances. These are young people and their families about whom I really care. They're all good people. They don't deserve these unfortunate life circumstances; nobody does.

And that's it. That's why I teach, and that's why I specifically enjoy teaching in "high needs" areas. I do it for them. I genuinely want my students to succeed and to get out of these unstable and often sad situations. I want them to be able to provide a loving and safe environment for their future families and to be able to hold jobs that will keep them out of debt. I don't want them to ever have to worry about when they will eat their next meal. I want them to live a life where they feel safe and respected. The thought of their potential future successes wakes me up every week day morning. It's what motivates me to spend a large portion of my time and energy writing meaningful lessons for them. Its what makes me want to take the steps to become the best possible teacher and mentor I can be for them.

I hope everyone who is fortunate enough to be financially stable can find a way to help other people. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Build a house with Habitat for Humanity. Find other volunteer opportunities in your community or through your religious organization. Meet the names and faces of those who did not grow up as fortunate as you, whose struggles you may never fully understand. Make somebody's life better because you were a part of it. I promise the experience will change your life.

To conclude:

Twits Tweets Twoots Twerps: I Get It Now

I made myself a badge, since I was just that inspired by #badgechatK12.

Well, I suppose the time has come to admit that I was wrong. Pull up a chair, make a cup of your hot beverage of choice (FLAMIN' HOT CHOCOLATE! JUST BURN IT!), and listen to this one, general public, because sincere public apologies over the Internet are a rare treat.

When I took my Education 504 class during my master's program 4.5 years ago, I was introduced to Twitter. In fact, there was a whole class session devoted to teaching my classmates and me to use Twitter. The instructors showed all of us how Twitter could be utilized as a great networking tool, as a quick and useful way to interact with other professionals and exchange educational resources with other teachers from around the world. Later that day, my classmates and I were required to write a reflective blog entry about using Twitter, and I came up with this.

Back then, I professed my annoyance with the fact that the name of everything related to Twitter contained a horrible bird pun. Back in 2010, my only prior experience with Twitter was using it with my sister. We had made accounts that we never intended to seriously use; had made crazy, fictional personas for our accounts; and had made our fictional characters/personas argue back and forth about nothing. Why? Because it was summer, we were 18 and 21 years old, and we had nothing to do one afternoon. Back in 2010, I had a hard time understanding why other people enjoyed Twitter so much and used it professionally, even after using it during class with my instructors.

This past Sunday, everything changed. My entire world (or, at least, the small part of it that consists of my thoughts about Twitter) was turned upside down. I updated my professional Twitter account for the first time in a while, and I then did something monumental: I participated in my very first Twitter live chat! As soon as the chat started and I submitted my first tweet, I knew I was hooked.

The best part about education-related chats is the fact that one can simply jump right into the conversation. Participants are friendly and open-minded, and the conversations are so engaging. I felt very welcomed by the other teacher/administrator participants, and the love and passion that each participant had for his/her career really showed. I enjoyed sharing ideas and interacting with other professionals on #geniushour (Sunday) and #badgechatK12 (Monday). Both chats introduced me to new ideas and really got me thinking about the practices and procedures at my work place. I even had an opportunity to show off my MS Paint talents on #badgechatK12:

So here it is, Twitter, here is my official apology that was four years in the making: I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for thinking you were useless. I'm sorry that it took me this long to understand your value; you're actually rather addictive. I'm sorry that I have been teaching for this long without knowing what a great professional development tool you are. I'm sorry for dismissing you before really giving you a chance. I was 21 years old back then and clearly so naive. I am much older and wiser now! (Don't let my love of cartoons and pretty colors fool you!)

With all that said, though, I'm not entirely sorry for what I said in 2010. I'm not sorry about laughing at Twitter's terrible bird puns. I'm not sorry for cringing when I hear references to the "Hootsuite". It doesn't make sense, though; owls hoot. Owls don't tweet. If you're going to call it a "Hootsuite," then "tweets" should be called "hoots" and the "Hootsuite" should be the place all the "hoots" go to "chillax" together. What would "hoot" "chillaxing" look like? That's an entry for another day!

Twitter, take the apology and run with it; that's probably the best one you're getting from me until I figure out this whole "Hootsuite" ordeal.

In the meantime, follow my professional self on Twitter, since that actually means something now.

Student Motivation: Am I Actually Evil?

How I probably appear to some of my students.

Each student enters the classroom with a strong yearning to absorb new information. Students are not motivated by grades, prizes, or competition, but rather, by their own curiosity to understand the world around them.

...Okay, we ALL know that is a lie. 

Let's face it: A lot of students don't see the value in learning for the sake of learning. Some would rather spend their time taking selfies on their phones (Side note: why on earth are parents giving phones to middle schoolers?!) or playing video games for hours of the day than understanding how to balance a chemical equation or learning why the United States functions as a democracy.

I have found that a lot of middle and high school students think only in terms of the here and now. College is far away, so how I get there is irrelevant right now. Having a job in the future? Psh. I'll have the skills I need for a job when the time comes; it's too far away. If these students don't see the relevance or the value of their education, how does a teacher motivate them?

Over the past few years, I have experimented with student motivational techniques and have found a couple particularly amusing techniques that have worked. While deep down, I don't know how ethical these techniques really were (should I really have to "trick" students into learning?), they produced great results and maximized learning for students who were not necessarily motivated by the desire to learn for the sake of learning.

Young Teacher Challenges: Did I Say Too Much?

I am the only teacher at my school who does not give out my cell phone number to my advisory (otherwise known as "homeroom") students. While the other teachers at my school have assured me that their students only use their phone numbers to text them and tell them that they are not coming to school on a given day, I don't trust that my students wouldn't abuse the power of knowing my phone number, so I don't give it out for any reason.

I have taught at a charter high school since the beginning of the 2014/2015 school year, and while my overall experience in this school environment has been positive and comfortable, I have occasionally had students make awkward comments to me. Students have asked me to go to parties or have asked for permission to call me by my first name. I have to remind them that no, none of that is okay, because I am their teacher and not a fellow student. In talking to my co-workers about these comments, I found that one other young female teacher has dealt with similar awkward/invasive questions from students, and she has also reminded students to respect the student/teacher boundaries.

One of the challenges of my teaching career so far has been maintaining the aura of being an adult authority figure around all of my students for the full duration of the school year. The beginning of the school year is fine, but over time, when my students get to know me, some of them seem to start seeing me as more of an "older sister" figure than that of an adult who is trying to guide them towards achieving academic success. This has happened both last year at the middle school level and, to a greater extent, this year with high school students.

In some ways, I get it: I'm small, soft spoken, and have an overall non-threatening demeanor. It may be difficult for my high school students to view a person who is only 8-11 years their senior as a parental figure, as a person my age is too young to have a child in the high school age range. Add to that the fact that this person looks like she could be one of their peers, and we are left with some confused students.

I often find myself in an odd predicament at work. Although I am an adult authority figure, there are times when I feel I can relate better to the students than to the other adults. All of my co-workers are older than me and are married, whereas I am in my mid-20s and am still at home with my parents and adult younger sister, saving money for my own house. I don't know what it's like to be married or have my own family, but I do know my video games and colorful cartoon shows. Just say the word "Pokemon", and I can talk for a very. long. time.

Sometimes, I feel uncomfortable when students ask me about my interests because I fear that revealing too much to them would cause them to further view me as a peer rather than an adult. I was warned by my mentor teacher last school year that as soon as a teacher lets his/her guard down and allows the students to get too comfortable, that teacher has a much more difficult time with classroom management because the students will no longer see that teacher as an authority figure, but rather, a peer. Peers do a poor job managing a classroom. On the other hand, we, as teachers, are always encouraged to share who we are with our students. Students form a deeper emotional connection to the person they see as more than just the adult in front of the classroom trying to teach them comma rules. Deeper emotional connections with the adults at school can ultimately lead to greater student success.

What are some effective strategies that younger teachers use to further assert themselves as authority figures? Where do you draw the line when determining how much information to share about yourself with students, and why?

I Love You, Snow Day... You Stupid Jerk.

I have lived in the Midwest for my entire life and am therefore accustomed to winters that include the bitter cold breezes, copious patches of slippery ice, and snow - inches and inches of snow, demanding to be shoveled. Challenging you to get to school and work in the morning. Beckoning you to throw your cares away by staying outside and playing a while.

The last couple of winters have brought the Midwest not just heavy snow, but snowpocalypse after snowpocalypse! In January 2014, most schools around my area had an extended winter break because of the snow fall. In fact, most schools around this area had more snow days than actual days of school in the month of January. After I started working at my last full-time job, which I started mid-way through January 2014, there was a point in which I had had more snow days than actual days of work on the job. If I'm being perfectly honest, I was not displeased about the large number of snow days at that point in time; the snow days ultimately reduced my level of stress because they gave me more time to plan lessons, which was helpful because I started working in the middle of the school year and didn't have a lot of time to prepare lessons before I started teaching.

Flash forward to now. January 2015 passed with minimal snow days, but over the weekend... Well, the snowpocalypse returned and has put most schools around here out for two days (and counting! There are rumors of more snow tonight!) While I have enjoyed sitting around in my pajamas the last couple of days, I am slowly getting stressed out thinking about what I have to do before Friday - tasks I can only accomplish while at work! And I feel like I have barely moved a muscle this weekend, too. Walking to the living room didn't used to feel like it took this much effort!

Like students, when I hear that a snowstorm is a'brewin', I stay up late checking news websites to see if school has been canceled. Then, if school is called off...well.... I'm not sure how I react. It depends.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with snow days. On one hand, it's an unexpected (and paid, for teachers) day off. Sleeping in never hurt anybody, right? No rush to get to work, no sarcastic comments from students, more time with the cats... Not a bad deal.

On the other hand, AHHHH, AN UNEXPECTED DAY OFF! How am I going to change my lesson plan to make up for this? Should I move the quiz to Thursday or Friday? Is it really important for the students to do that writing assignment? Can we still get this project done before the end of the quarter if I shift the entire lesson plan over a day? Do my students and I have enough time in the next two days to put together my class' booth for Friday's cultural fair? Basically, snow days are a planning nightmare! How can I relax when there is so much to think about? And what if there's another snow day tomorrow? Then I have to redo the lesson plan YET AGAIN.

I guess snow days, like anything else, are what you make of them. I could, for instance, choose to be stressed out, or I could choose to relax. Or a little bit of both, for the sake of variation and excitement on this day when I am otherwise stuck indoors. Yes, stuck inside...after I ate the last of my Girl Scout cookies (a story for another time.) Ugh.

What is the consensus, fellow educators: Do you embrace snow days with open arms, or are they simply too antagonistic to your lesson planning?

Life's Diverging Roads

In school, students progress: They pass tests. They complete semesters. They advance to the next grade level. They complete degrees. The most difficult part of my transition into adulthood is the fact that after your degrees are complete, this sense of progression seems to diminish. Unfortunately, the amount of progression I have made in life seems linked to my self-worth (maybe it was the years of brainwashing from the modern educational system?), so when I feel that I'm not progressing enough, my inner monologue is bugging me about why I'm not doing more.

Yeah, okay, so you can get a job, and you can keep doing that job until you get promoted. In some businesses, there is more potential for promotions than with others. When one chooses to become a classroom teacher, there isn't a lot of movement that can be made unless one decides to pursue additional education. Teachers have the option of going back to school to add an endorsement to their certification. They can also go for a master's degree or a Ph.D. Oh yeah, and there's also the option of running out of the classroom, hands in the air, determined to never go back, and just pursuing another degree all together in order to switch careers.

...But then there's the money factor. Unless you live in a world of delusion or in some underground mole society that treats its educators as gods, the teaching profession isn't known for its large paychecks, and going back to school costs quite the sum. Before going back to school, a person has to make sure that he/she is committed to put the time, effort, and money into that degree before signing up for the classes. Most people who go back to school must complete their education while also holding a full-time job because, let's face it, people need money and insurance!

My current project is making sure that I have my three full years of full-time teaching, 150 required professional development hours, and two reading courses completed by June 2017. That must be done in order to ensure that I receive my professional certificate before my provisional certificate expires. So far, I'm a little behind on that because I started working full time in January of last year, but I still have time to fulfill these requirements before the expiration date. (Dang, 2017 seemed so much farther away back in 2011!)

On top of working towards this goal, there are a few other options to explore:

1) Getting an Ed.D: A doctorate degree in education would eat up about seven or eight years of my life, but it would open up so many doors and opportunities in the field of education outside of classroom teaching; however, pursuing a doctorate might complicate my life if I end up getting married and having children in the next decade or so. Key word: if  If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that life can never be planned far in advance; rather, it just happens, and it's important to be ready for unexpected changes. An Ed.D. would also involve a long-term commitment to a university and an area of the country. Again, I'm not sure where life is going to take me in the next few years, so I don't know if I'd be able to make that commitment.

2) Going back to school for a math minor so that I can add a math endorsement to my certification. Okay, so for the last two school years, I have taught math to some capacity, even though I'm technically not supposed to do that. (SHHH!!) At my former place of full-time employment, each teacher taught a math elective during fourth quarter due to the absence of a math teacher. At my current place of employment, I seem to be tutoring a lot of kids in math because they are finishing their English classes in a hurry, but they are stuck on math. Having a math endorsement on my certificate would also make me a stronger candidate for other teaching opportunities in the future, and maybe I could eventually work for a unionized school system! (Note: Is that actually a good thing? I've heard mixed reviews.)

3) Getting a Computer Science Bachelor's Degree: I would have to go back to school for a long time to get a bachelor's degree (I wouldn't quit my job to go back full time, so I'd have to go back part-time) and basically start from scratch, but the world needs more programmers. Plus, with an education background, I could work in designing my own educational programs and selling them to schools, especially now that I've gained a lot of hands-on experience with educational programming at my current job. This degree would also give me the flexibility to leave the teaching profession if I so desired and simply become a programmer.

4) Going to the kitchen and eating an orange: Why? Because I wanted to add one item to this list that I could accomplish right away. CHECK!

So many options...and which one to choose? Which commitment to make? Help me, Batman...by which I mean an academic adviser, whom I will call "Batman". Mister or Miss Batman.