Confessions from the Couch » Going After It

Going After It

A few weeks ago, I had a long conversation with my mother . . .she has notice somethings (mood, behaviors) and they were causing her to worry. During this conversation, she told me that she had always admired me.

“What?” I responded.

“I’ve always admired you! The way you go after things. You decide what you want and then you pursue it.”

I was really surprised to hear this from my mother. She talked about how head strong I was growing up. If I wanted something, I went after it. I devoted all of my energy toward it. I pursued it with great tenacity. I went against the grain. I challenged the status quo.

If you had asked me prior to this conversation, if I was that girl, I would have denied it. I had not seen myself as being THAT strong. Or strong willed. I have always magnified my weaknesses. . . maybe, in my mind’s eye, I saw my weaknesses and it manifested itself in hardwork to overcome them. As I look back, I was that way with many things, I wanted desperately to be a cheerleader, I worked hard at learning to cartwheel and split. . . I wanted to be in the choir, I worked hard at singing on pitch and learning the music and let’s not even discuss show choir and the many hours I spent in the mirror dancing and practicing. When it came time for me to apply to college, I was methodical about it, I spent time writing schools for information, making lists and comparing (the internet had not taken root back then). So, I guess I was very much a go getter!

She brought this into the conversation because she was confused at my recent moodiness (and here). I was saying I wanted to do somethings, but the reality was that I was doing NOTHING to get them. What had happened to my fire? Who knows? What I do know is that anything I have ever wanted to do, I have pursued it with everything that was in me. Yes, there were many, many crushing moments, but they never kept me down. I picked myself up, set a new goal and went after it.

I keep thinking, when we become adults, do we get caught up in the mundaness of paying the bills and working, that we forget to dream? Or even abandon our dreams? Or do we let life’s issues and other people kill our dreams. Whatever it is, I will not let it happen to me anymore. In my last years of college, my dream was to become a teacher. A great teacher. I had dreams of traveling overseas, seeing the world. . .It’s time to breathe new life into these dreams. . . I remember these dreams . . .my bff remembers me making them . . .

Go overseas to teach
Complete an Ed.S. or Ph.D.
Write a book

So, the first part of this journey is to broaden my teaching experience, i.e. GET A NEW JOB. For the last few hours, I’ve been working on my resume. I’ll begin applying to jobs in the next few weeks, specifically to the Department of Defense because they have schools all over the world. No matter the what, I have to leave my city in order for my journey to begin.

If you’re a reader of this, here is how you can help me (yep, I’m telling you what I need from you).

Any job postings that you see, especially for things overseas, forward them to me.
Review my resume*and digital portfolio (not up yet, but coming in the next week).
Remind me of my goals when I start to whine and complain and vent.

*My you can click on my the link to read my resume. However, it is password protected. The password is my real name-first name only. I’m sorry that I can’t give it to everyone, but ya’ll know how that goes. You may email me privately for access, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll give it. Secondly, this is the condensed version of my resume. It was over two pages long with all of my previous work experiences and all of that, but upon the suggestion of a friend, I condensed it and will have a separate CV with all of those specific details in my online portfolio. Thanks in advance for suggestions, comments and constructive feedback.

random mutterings | Miss Teacha | February 6, 2010 3:27 am

7 Comments

By Betty, February 6, 2010 @ 6:02 am

Hey there again. It is me with red on my face.:) I am obviously like the students who don’t read the directions. Good luck with your new adventures in teaching. If I were younger, I would go back to school and become a nurse. I admire those who realize that they need to do something different and go for it. If you want me to read your resume, let me know.
Betty´s last blog ..It’s because of you
By Barbara Day, February 6, 2010 @ 7:35 am

You’re on your way! Every big change I have made in my life has started just the way you are; by making a plan. I changed careers and became a teacher that way. I became a foster parent and adopted my son that way. Sometimes we just have to rediscover who we are. Moms are great for getting us back on target. For me, I was trying to fit in, and I burried a lot of who I really am. Now that you have taken that first step, you have opened the door to some fantastic new opportunities. And you better keep blogging about it, because I enjoy reading your stuff.
Barbara Day´s last blog ..Using a WebQuest
By High School Tchr, February 6, 2010 @ 10:09 am

Wow! I feel like I’m reading my own blog about teaching. Keep posting, I’m enjoy.

Oh, by the way, I also had the same list 1, 2, 3 for dreams. I’ve started writing two books. Nothing finished yet, but you should do this. I find going someplace fictional after the stress of a school day is cathartic. And your school experiences can give you fodder for your stories.
By OKP, February 7, 2010 @ 6:14 pm

http://www.tasis.com/page.cfm?p=540
OKP´s last blog ..Tidbit
By Frumteacher, February 8, 2010 @ 12:24 am

Dear Miss A.,

Wonderful post!!! It is so important to retrieve your inspiration, after losing it in the everyday hassle of managing your classroom and your life. It is interesting how we both feel the same in year 5. I expected so much from it, and now I feel totally worn out. The funny thing is that on top of my wish list, too, is writing a book. Who knows what will be… Where do you want to teach abroad?

I read your resume. It looks really fancy, although maybe there are too many stimuli on one page. This is the layout of a resume that I am more or less used to: http://www.professional-resume-example.com/images/BethanyButlerresumecopy.gif

Maybe you could cut out the column on the left, that would make it look more professional (although I really like the globe). I like how it fits on one page. What might be an option is to list only your plain teaching and extra curr. experience in the resume, and to stress your skills (like technology) in the accompanying letter. Oh yeah, and something I missed (maybe I just didn’t read carefully) is that you worked with the student teacher last year. It cost you so much energy, you deserve to put it on! ;-D

Please keep posting on your progress, your renewed inspiration kindles mine!
By Kary, February 8, 2010 @ 8:32 am

Your resume looks great! I like the layout and it makes you sound like a great enthusiastic teacher that would want my kids to have! Knowing you I want to have you as a teacher! You will get your fire back, you will find what you are looking for, maybe even here in Texas.
Kary´s last blog ..Fun and Games
By Melissah, April 2, 2010 @ 8:36 pm

Teach overseas! I live in Australia, and whilst we have the same issues with curriculum and leaders in ivory towers who know nothing about teaching, Australia is a wonderful place to experience teaching. Go for it. It will be the change that you need!
Melissah´s last blog ..shorter lunch breaks? No Thanks