Twenty-six odd years
ago I was blessed to find an avocation that excited me as no other work had
ever done before or since.
While I was trained in business and had worked for nearly
20 years in that field, there was never a real love for the work. There was a
fair amount of success in what was happening (salary increases, better positions, recognition, etc.)
but something was always missing. No matter how much money I made or awards I received,
there was a vacuum in my life when it came to work.
Events of life seemed
to be shaping me to branch out and find something more satisfying. At first, I thought
becoming a manager in several businesses and subsequently a director for a
large company was going to be the answer to my yearnings. But all those
positions and the compensation that came along with the titles never gave me
peace.
Teaching Seminary (especially early morning classes) was
not something I had ever considered as a full-time possibility. But when I tried I discovered it was fun, and
there was a joy in the students and work.
But there was always major trepidation when
considering the financial part(that 'natural man' stuff can be a real pain:See Mosiah 3:19).
So, I participated as
a part-time teacher while retaining my “daily” job in the world. It was tiring (early morning started at 6:00 am) but
it was also invigorating, and the students were amazing. For nearly seven years
my schedule included that early morning shot of excitement before I went off to
do my other duties. My goal was to complete 25 years and then settle back and
bask in the memories.
Now, 26 + years
later, I look back and realize that the process for finding this work followed
a pattern that would help me understand the great blessing it is to be in this
position. The part-time work during those early mornings helped me to see the
value of what I was doing.
Seeing students faces
as they 1) woke up, 2) began to understand, and 3) radiated the light they were
receiving changed me as much (or
maybe more) as it changed them.
When I decided to
accept an offer of fulltime employment, for the first time in my life I had
found work that gave me joy in addition to feeding my family and paying the
bills.
Oh, we made a LOT less
money than we had before, but the excitement of going to work every day made it
all worthwhile. And I believe that my family benefited by having a dad/husband
who was not miserable in his work.
But this is old news
to many of you and I’ve told this story many times in the past.
So,
what is the purpose of this journey down “memory land?”
Two
things.
THING One – I am
beginning to realize that the time is fast approaching when I will no longer be
able to continue in my chosen profession. There are only a few short years
until I will, necessarily, retire from the work I love.
Despite what some
might think, students do struggle a little more with older teachers AND older
teachers struggle a little more with students. We still love each other, but
the generation gap, with all its nefarious points of differentiation, is
unyielding
(unless you are an Apostle
– which I’m not).
So, the expectation
is that in another two or three years there will be a change in my employment
status.
Not something I
anticipate with joy, but more as a reality of life.
THING Two – For the past few months I have been feeling
sorry for myself.
Each year, the area
director of each group of teachers visits with them and asks where they would
like to teach (unlike Public School teachers, we move around quite a
bit during our careers). In my interview with our director, I gave
two desires –
1. Stay where I am for the last few
years or
2.
Move to the Institute (college age students).
Imagine my reaction when
our placement notices came out in May and neither of my requests was granted.
In fact, an assignment was made to move to a different high school, further
away from home than at any time since my very first assignment in 1998.
Being obedient, the
change was accepted, but not without a fair amount of grumbling (to Teresa, other teachers, and just
about anyone who would listen).
And that’s why I’m
offering the reminiscences of my career on this day. Mostly, what I’m doing is
reminding myself that:
1.
I don’t teach
because I want to make a lot of money and
2.
Teaching isn’t my favorite job because of the school
where I am assigned.
I'm also apologizing to those who had to listen to my rantings for the last few months. It surely was a burden for them and I regret my lack of self-control.
Teaching
is my favorite career because of what it does for me and for the students in
the classroom.
There are only a few
more years to influence the young people in my care. It will be very difficult
to do my job if the focus is on what isn’t available to me.
The work is still exciting,
and the students are amazing (imagine working with youth who don’t
swear, strictly avoid immoral behavior, control obnoxiousness, and shun all the other discouraging things
you see in the world).
This is still the
best job ever!!
And I need to treat it as the blessing it is.
So, you will hear no
more from me about any changes or disruptions in my work life.
As far as I’m
concerned, this is the happiest place on earth (sorry Disney) and I want to
be here with joy in the work.
So, Copper Hills High/West
Hills Jr. Here I come!!
