Right now I’m working as a long term sub at a near by school. It’s our local school district and the district is the one I went to school in when I was in school (and my dad as well as his family also)… So I have an allegiance to the school. That being said, after school I left and married a professor. I’ve traveled some, worked a few places, taught at university, and have a lot of diverse acquaintances and friends. As time goes on I realize how sheltered the area I’m from is. Leading to me debating what I really want to do in my future.
I have been loving teaching as I’m doing it, but when I’m home I think of all the things I could be doing. I spent some time debating in my mind the what do I love about teaching and how do I approach it. What I decided is that I really love solving problems – really the same as when I work as a computer programmer. It’s just you are looking at the problem of a lesson and a student that doesn’t understand it and trying to reason out the best way to explain it that they will understand it. Sometimes, especially in special education, that takes several tries. Just like in programming when some tough problem is solved and the program works, a student finally understanding is so great!
Having taught college and elementary students camps I was never certified, leading to my internal debate on do I get certified. I have to admit while thinking about it, I finally think I’ve reached the decision that it’s just not worth it. If I was starting out and just entering the workforce as opposed to ready to retire, I would go for it. Having reached the end of my career, there are so many things I can do to meet my need for problem solving and I can always stay active in the schools. I may volunteer at one of the universities. I love doing research also!