I hate change. But c'est la vie; sometimes life throws you interesting challenges and you have to suck it up. Teaching has been my passion for the past five years and a dream since I was in the second grade. Unfortunately dreams aren't always as idealistic as when you are seven. Education, as many of you know, has taken an interesting direction as of late. Not one that I am totally opposed to but there are certainly many things that I wish were different. The biggest problem for me is this attitudinal barrier that teachers are little more than babysitters with no worthwhile skills nor contributions to society.
This, along with a great deal of student apathy, has led me to consider some changes of my own. As a recent graduate from The College of Massage Therapy I have a whole new set of tools I can use to help people. With this in mind, as well as my unbelievable organizational abilities and efficiency, have made me wonder if my path should go a different way for a while.
What is it that people often say? There aren't any regrets only what ifs? I'm not sure if that is the exact quote or not but it's an interesting thought.
What if I stayed in teaching and what if I started doing massage full time?
If I stay in teaching there is little to no financial growth in my current position as an educator. The state and school district continues to reduce benefits and kids are increasingly apathetic toward their education. On a personal and professional level I feel there are still many ways I can grow and learn but is that outweighed by the need to be recognized for excelling in my current skills or the need to adequately provide for my family.
A lot of people stay in education because they LOVE teaching. I love teaching too. I hate to sound greedy, but I went to college and got a degree so I could pursue a job that would allow me to grow both professionally and financially. I never expected to be "Rich" as a teacher, but I thought it wasn't far reaching to expect to be able to buy a house and pay my bills.
After college I thought the days of living paycheck to paycheck were over. I always laugh when people talk to me about buying a house, as if we actually have money in our savings account.
I've recently been conducting a little study of my own to ask my colleagues why they teach or why they stay. The majority of them have spouses who work full time and make $60-$100K a year. So my colleagues can "afford" to teach.
This saddens me. So I contemplate daily, what life changes I can make to achieve financial security.
So on a positive note, change can be motivating. And blessings can be answered.
Regardless of what I decide to do, my massage therapy business has been thriving. I am constantly getting new clients and helping others that want to be helped. This can really fill up your "bucket". :)
Other changes can help you get your life back into perspective. The past few years have been a crazy whirlwind of insanity. I've been going at 150 miles per hour every day for as long as I can remember. I've missed out on a lot with my family and it has really come to the forefront more recently. So I made a few changes in my schedule. Started saying no more often and continue to trim down all that I do and I realized very quickly how important that family time really is. The next few months appear pretty busy, so in order to maintain my family time I need to make sure I keep that in perspective.
Taking time for myself has been a work in progress but one that has shown me how important it really is. Creating a balanced life is a truly healthy and invigorating experience. I have found that when I take time for myself, I have more energy and patience to focus on my other duties, so I do them better and more fully.
This past year has been an interesting journey, one with some fascinating lessons and many wonderful experiences. So looking back I hope that I can make the best choice that will lead me to optimum outcome. But isn't that what we are always hoping for?
This, along with a great deal of student apathy, has led me to consider some changes of my own. As a recent graduate from The College of Massage Therapy I have a whole new set of tools I can use to help people. With this in mind, as well as my unbelievable organizational abilities and efficiency, have made me wonder if my path should go a different way for a while.
What is it that people often say? There aren't any regrets only what ifs? I'm not sure if that is the exact quote or not but it's an interesting thought.
What if I stayed in teaching and what if I started doing massage full time?
If I stay in teaching there is little to no financial growth in my current position as an educator. The state and school district continues to reduce benefits and kids are increasingly apathetic toward their education. On a personal and professional level I feel there are still many ways I can grow and learn but is that outweighed by the need to be recognized for excelling in my current skills or the need to adequately provide for my family.
A lot of people stay in education because they LOVE teaching. I love teaching too. I hate to sound greedy, but I went to college and got a degree so I could pursue a job that would allow me to grow both professionally and financially. I never expected to be "Rich" as a teacher, but I thought it wasn't far reaching to expect to be able to buy a house and pay my bills.
After college I thought the days of living paycheck to paycheck were over. I always laugh when people talk to me about buying a house, as if we actually have money in our savings account.
I've recently been conducting a little study of my own to ask my colleagues why they teach or why they stay. The majority of them have spouses who work full time and make $60-$100K a year. So my colleagues can "afford" to teach.
This saddens me. So I contemplate daily, what life changes I can make to achieve financial security.
So on a positive note, change can be motivating. And blessings can be answered.
Regardless of what I decide to do, my massage therapy business has been thriving. I am constantly getting new clients and helping others that want to be helped. This can really fill up your "bucket". :)
Other changes can help you get your life back into perspective. The past few years have been a crazy whirlwind of insanity. I've been going at 150 miles per hour every day for as long as I can remember. I've missed out on a lot with my family and it has really come to the forefront more recently. So I made a few changes in my schedule. Started saying no more often and continue to trim down all that I do and I realized very quickly how important that family time really is. The next few months appear pretty busy, so in order to maintain my family time I need to make sure I keep that in perspective.
Taking time for myself has been a work in progress but one that has shown me how important it really is. Creating a balanced life is a truly healthy and invigorating experience. I have found that when I take time for myself, I have more energy and patience to focus on my other duties, so I do them better and more fully.
This past year has been an interesting journey, one with some fascinating lessons and many wonderful experiences. So looking back I hope that I can make the best choice that will lead me to optimum outcome. But isn't that what we are always hoping for?
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