Slamming the breaks on life: My journey to become a teacher (Part 2)

Slamming the breaks on life: My journey to become a teacher (Part 2)

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The @steemiteducation homework a few weeks ago asked people to describe the reason they decided to become a teacher. I knew as soon as I looked at the homework assignment that it was one that I wanted to submit. What I didn’t realize at that moment was how much there was to my story. A story that I considered simple in my mind started to look and feel very complex as I started to go through the process of putting it into words. This homework assignment for @steemiteducation has become so much more than that. This process has been a wonderful trip down memory lane that I could in no way condense into a single post.

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In part 1 of this homework, I detailed my career and some of my life before teaching was even a consideration in my mind. If you have not read part 1 I would encourage you to go back and check it out so that you can have a little more context for this post. The quick and dirty summary is that I was fully engaged and rolling along in a career that I was successful in. I also had a young and growing family and there came a moment when I felt that the two were not going to be able to blend in the cohesive way that I wanted and I was faced with a huge choice. I chose my family and decided to embark on what would be the scariest and most rewarding journey of my life. I was going to become a teacher.

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So here I was, I had just quit my job and had started to prepare my application for teachers college. At this point, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get into the program but I knew that the restaurant industry wasn’t going to give my family all that we needed in terms of my presence at home so I made the move to leave management to pursue my new dream. I didn't leave the industry completely though. I had a young family and I couldn’t just quit a job and not have any income, I needed to still be able to provide for my family. I stayed on with the restaurant as a waiter and bartender, a position that I had a great deal of success with and where I could still make a lot of money. Tips are a beautiful thing. I was still working nights and weekends but we knew that now there was an end game.

Late nights at the bar. The old days.

I used my days to become more acquainted with the world of education. I had yet to get accepted into the program but I wanted to get involved and start learning. I started this journey right after Christmas and the timing was perfect in terms of one part of my plan. I had decided to go back to school right away and start my learning. This was also something I was able to include in the essay portion of my application to the teaching program. I enrolled in two courses at the University of Ottawa. I took a Child Psychology class and a Children’s Literature Class. I felt these classes would help to give me some tools that would help with my development as a future educator. I found them both to be informative and helpful but really enjoyed the literature class most. This is where I fell in love with Harry Potter. A love affair that burned hot for years to come and still exists. (A story for another time)

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These courses took two days of my week going to school and sitting in class. With the other days, I decided I needed to be IN a school and working with students. I proceed to visit the school closest to my home and offered my services as a volunteer. Being a school with a lot of needs (unknown to me at the time), they were happy to have me. It took a few days to get my police records check done and right away I was volunteering 2 days a week. I was so lucky with this opportunity. I asked if one day I could work in a primary (grades 1-3) class and one day in a junior (grades 4-6) class and they were able to accommodate that one and only request. I was also lucky in terms of the two teachers that I volunteered with. I told them to use me as much as they could and in any and every way. They did just that. I was working with reading groups, helping to teach lessons to small groups and completely engaged in all that was going on in the classroom while I was there. They were even supportive enough to show me some of the work that goes into planning, marking and report cards. The whole purpose of this process was to find out for myself if being in a school setting and in a classroom with actual kids was something that I wanted to do. The result was a newly kindle fire and a burning desire to do this. Now I knew that I really wanted to TEACH!

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I was extremely busy over that 5 months and sleep was at a premium. I was working until 1 AM most nights and up early to make it to class or get to the school for my volunteering job. This was all rewarded in May when I received a letter from the University of Ottawa congratulating me on my acceptance to the Education program at the school. I made it. The first step was complete! I was going to be a full-time student in September. I was on the road to becoming a teacher!

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Stay tuned for the next part of the journey as I find out that becoming a teacher is much more difficult than just getting a teaching degree.

Created by @hansenatortravel