Since it’s Friday, I thought today’s post would be something of a dream/hope/future goal. Recently, I asked my students to describe what their life would be like if they were able to achieve their American Dream. If they were able to reach their ultimate goal, what would it mean? And then I started thinking about my own life goals…
I always wanted to be a teacher, and I’ve gone far within my profession. Besides my BA in English and my single-subject teaching credential for secondary education, I have a masters degree in educational leadership, which opens up opportunities for me to become an administrator should I ever want to go down that path. I still love teaching, but the state of education in this country is making me question how much longer I’ll be able to teach in a way that is meaningful and enjoyable for me and my students.
There seems to be a backlash in this country against teachers. It is the only profession that I can think of that EVERYONE thinks they know how to “fix,” or do a better job at than those who have gone to school and received training for it. It’s almost as if people think that because they’ve been a student and have been exposed to lots of teachers, they know exactly what it’s like to be a teacher. And how wrong they are. Teaching is about so much more than what it seems to be on the surface. And if you’re a good teacher, then you make it look seamless and easy. When in reality it’s anything but. And the time commitment goes well beyond the 6-7 hour school day. I can’t begin to calculate the number of hours I spend outside of that time planning, preparing, and grading for my classes. Not to mention that during my workday there is no down time. I’m always “on” and I’ve got 35+ people to contend with at all times. Until someone has been a teacher, they have no idea all that goes into it. Forget about the stress of budget cuts, layoffs, and pink slips. And don’t even get me started on Wisconsin…
But I digress. This isn’t supposed to be a rant about teaching.
My point is, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be teaching. If things in education change as dramatically as I think they might in the coming years, I will no longer be fulfilled as a teacher. Plus, I think I may be ready for a change with 5-7 years.
So when I ask myself what I’d like to do if I could do anything, the first job that pops out at me is someone who works in Nutrition. Not a traditional nutritionist, but someone who not only educates people about what proper nutrition means, but also someone who plans meals and even offers cooking demonstrations for students. That way I could combine my love of teaching people something new with my strengths of organization and planning, and add in my love of cooking and food.
I’d love to be one of those people you see on Heavy who takes the clients to the grocery store and shows them how to read food labels. But I think I’d take it a step further and visit them at home and help them plan their meals for the week, make a shopping list, get the groceries, and then maybe even help them prepare some of it. And then they could drop by my office/storefront and learn how to cook some new meals every so often. Maybe we could even do field trips to local farms or farmers markets and then cook with those ingredients. The options are limitless.
To achieve this goal, I would need to go back to school and get my degree or certification in nutrition. I would also need to figure out what it would mean to have my own business, so some financial planning would be in order. There are a million little details that would need to be ironed out, but it is definitely something that could be possible. And I think I’d have a bit of an edge over the competition, because I’ll have successfully lost 150 pounds by then, so I’ll be a living success story who knows just how difficult it is to lose weight.
What do you think? How much would you pay someone to help you with this sort of thing? Is it realistic?
No matter what happens in the future, it sure is fun to be a bit whimsical and just dream.
Bella on the Beach 
Sounds like it would be a good job for you!
That sounds really cool. And I like that project for your students. I once took one of those green card, see if you’re really married, tests with one of my best girlfriends about 8 years ago, just to see how well we knew each other. One of the questions was, if money weren’t part of the equation, what would your spouse do for a living. I knew right away what she’d do (therapist/psychologist) but it was hard to answer for myself. So it was very amusing when she said that was easy for her, she knew exactly what I’d do. She said I’d be a travel writer, and I think she’s right. That would be awesome. But at the same time, I love my real job right now. Maybe that will fade one day, but I hope not.
As for teachers, it’s funny that I also thought it’s something anyone could do. Hubby and I met in an Italian conversation class. For years, we had a series of great instructors. Then we had one who was not a teacher by trade and it was AWFUL. You’re exactly right, the good ones make it seem easy, but oh, the bad ones are painful!! We both dropped the class for that semester until they brought back a real trained teacher/professor.
I love this idea 🙂 Youd be able to use youre teaching skills in an entirely new way.
One of my best girlfriends is a HS Biology/Anatomy teacher and the stories she tells us about the parents are insane. The parents are worse than the children! My parents would have torn me a new one if I behaved the way that some of her students behave and these kids parents defend them!
Absolutely. I actually love most of the kids, but there are definitely those few who are so “entitled.” For me, I’m getting really disillusioned with all of the politics/standardization that seems to get in the way of me just reaching the kids and actually teaching them what they need to know to succeed in college.
And the more I think about this idea, the more I love it. I ran it past my sister, and she thought it would be a great move for me. And a way to completely incorporate the healthy lifestyle that I want to live. The best part is that there’s no rush, so I can take my time getting the degree, figuring out the money, etc.