New Job=New Outlook on Life

 There are lots of reasons I wasn't able to continue teaching at my high school and it had very little to do with any one person or the school itself. It was about me getting my life back. 

When I started working, I had 5 kids still left at home. I know that I was supposed to take that job for a reason. I know I was supposed to be there for the time I was but...I'm not that same person that I was. 

In the five years I was working at the high school, four of my kids got married and I had four grandbabies join our family. My priorities changed. I also didn't realize the amount of time I would spend at home with my own children would be spent grading, lesson planning, tutoring, worrying, crying and praying over all of them. I loved them all but the pressure of all that became too much to manage. 

The pandemic made everything seem excruciatingly more difficult, especially when it came to the worrying and praying. I quickly became overwhelmed and I decided I couldn't be a martyr for the cause anymore. 

When those contracts came out, I was absolutely certain that I couldn't return another school year. The anxiety caused so many physical problems to add to my already long list of mental health issues. Not signing that contract was so hard because I felt like those kids needed me and I was letting them down. But at what cost? 

When the deadline passed to sign the contract, the pressure to return was great. For what seemed like the first time, I felt like I was a good teacher because they did want me back. They didn't say it in those exact words, but by wanting me to return, I felt like maybe I was doing a good enough job. 

Unfortunately, I was told I couldn't be a head coach and that one was like a sucker punch out of nowhere. I'm still a little bitter about that but I volunteer and that has to be enough for now. 

Not knowing what the next school year held for me was scary but I've landed in a job that seems like a great fit for me. I'm at that place in my life where I am not going to remain in a job that makes me so unhappy. I even said that at my job interview, "I want to work at a place where I feel respected and valued as a professional while allowing me to be at home with my kids as they come and go each day." 

My request was granted. I now work for a company called Graduation Solutions:  https://www.iwantmydiploma.com/ 

This is a company that helps students who have dropped out of high school, to pursue their high school diploma online. If you're 16-21 and live in AZ it is FREE! If you don't meet those qualifications, they have other programs as well and they are very affordable. The difference is, that this is a company and not a school. If you want to get your diploma and are comfortable doing online courses, this is the place for you. 

Each instructor monitors the progress of their online students from home. I monitor progress, grade writing prompts, tutor over virtually and in person. I do this four days a week from my home. 

Many of us work at the HUB (Helping Undo Barriers), once a week. This is a place in Phoenix and soon to be East Valley where students can come and get tutoring, a quiet place to work, equipment to do their laundry, a place for their children to play, free internet, clothing, food pantry and more. If you live within a certain distance, they will even come and pick you up and take you home. 

I'm blessed that my shift at the HUB is flexible enough that I don't hit rush hour traffic either way and I'm always home for my kids when they walk in the door. Bonus - my mom is able to volunteer at the HUB and we drive together every week. I'm not saying that I need to multi-task to spend time with my mom, but I love our hour long drive each way because we talk and catch up and make plans with each other. I love seeing my mom fill a need, no matter what they asked her to do. She's expressed how fun it is to watch me work and how excited I get talking about English with my students. 

They have partnerships with businesses for work programs, life coaching and mentoring as well. If you are in need of a way to complete your education, this company will do what they can to make sure you have what you need so you can be successful. I've seen it firsthand. 

In the short time I've worked here, I've felt more valued, accepted and prioritized than I had in the 5 years I worked at a public high school. (Again, this is not a dig at my old job. It's a dig at public education as a whole.)

Do I work full time plus sometimes a little more because a kid needs it? Yes, sometimes. But I'm learning to prioritize myself and set boundaries that I felt like I couldn't do at my last job. 

Maybe it's because I started this job the day after I turned 50, but I feel like my 50's are going to be the best decade so far because of the flexibility with this company to do all the things I've missed (and there's lots.)

Here's to a new outlook on life!