On Career Path

Part I
On College and Careers

Upon High School graduation, I had no idea where to begin...or end. How was I supposed to make such a life altering decision about where to go to college and what to study? And as unreasonable as it sounds, I don't think I had given it any thought, until the day I actually had to pack up my things and go. Nor then, did I really pay much attention to what I was actually majoring in. The anticipation of Freshman Orientation and the excitement of Hunt Hall took care of that!

The truth is..The thought of "changing" my life as I knew it, was too much for me. I submitted ONE college application and I wouldn't have even done that if it wasn't for my mother who "helped" answer the questions and gave me a well deserved, "It doesn't matter. You have to at least go to college" speech. It wasn't that I didn't want to go, I just wasn't thinking about it at that moment. At that VERY moment I was concerned with other things. (Embarrassingly enough, I don't even know what things.) Needless to say, it was my ONE college application, the ONE I barely even blinked at, that had me enrolled into a University 45 minutes away from home preparing me to become an Elementary Educator.

I was eighteen and absolutely clueless about career options and it was by no result other than my own. I am sure I was asked about it. I'm sure I was encouraged to explore my options. I am sure all the resources where available to me if I only had gone looking for them. But again, at that VERY moment I was concerned with other things. The Libra in me had me socializing with friends instead of researching careers.

If it wasn't relevant to my life, right then and there, then it didn't matter to me.  I paid no attention, and as far as I was concerned, I didn't have a reason to pay attention. This "major" thing, was something that was so far ahead of me, so distant from what I was doing at that moment, that I didn't know if the choice I was making was right for me or not.

So, I continued on. Eventually, I could tell friends and family members along my college path how I "lucked" out. I had enrolled as a Freshmen who didn't know what kind of a career I wanted. I took required "Elementary Education" courses because I had to pick something, BUT I luckily chose something I really enjoyed. 

By the time graduation rolled around, I had completed all that needed to be completed and walked away with a degree in something I wanted to do. I ended my four years at Eastern Oregon University with a grade point average I was proud of and a degree in which I was not only capable of but successful at.

I think the most important thing that happened during the time I was in college was how much I learned about myself. *Ironically enough, that was something spoken about during Freshman Orientation.*

College is learning. Learning how to budget. Learning how to socialize, how to make friends, build relationships. Learning how to end unnecessary relationships, make needed relationships last. Learning how to be self-disciplined. Learning how you learn. How you think and feel. Learning what your passionate about. Learning about learning to learn more.

If nothing else, If, at the very least, college teaches you to learn about your self.

And learning about myself, I did. Above all, I learned that being a teacher is not something just any ol' body can do.

Good teaching is something that is born into you. It is apart of you like the color of your eyes or your overextended elbows. It is something that runs through your veins, and according to my husband, stains your mouth with bad breath. For some (those born to educate) not teaching would likely mean they would need to be put on life support. They wouldn't be able to breathe without it.

I can confidently say that teaching was born into me. I didn't have to be shown that you hold a book towards the audience and read it upside down so the class can enjoy the illustrations. I just did it. Nor did I have to be told that, if you want your class to follow your instructions, you have to find a reason for them to want to listen to you. In fact, one of the biggest compliments I have ever received came from a 20+ year veteran teacher, who told me that out of all the student teachers she has ever had, I was and am the best student teacher she ever had the privilege of working with.

I don't doubt that is true. I know I was born to work with children, to teach them, and to love them. I instinctively know how to run a classroom, and although my college courses, instructors, and mentors help me improve a great deal, I didn't have to be taught how.

That may sound overly competent, but just as you know you are good with numbers, or have a way with words, I know that I have a place in children's lives.

So what happened? Why I am not teaching in a traditional classroom? And maybe even more importantly, Is it okay if you chose to take an alternative career path from the one you were destined to do?