Rebuilding Rob

I don’t know if it’s necessarily the hardest, personal goal ever I’ve ever for myself, but a personal goal that was very difficult for me to achieve is getting back in the teaching.

When I moved down south (20 years ago this coming summer!) I did so because X1 and I were both offered jobs down there. It didn’t work out well for me, teaching-wise. I think it was a combination of things: I think, being away from everything I knew, affected me more than I realized at the time. I think, to an extent, there was a little cultural difference between me and the students that prevented me from establishing much of a rapport. And the truth is, most teachers pretty much suck for first five years that they are on the business.

In any case, it didn’t work out. And I’m not here to cry over spilled milk. But leaving teacher gave me an opportunity to try a few different things. For the first time in my life, I worked in a cubicle. It was the first time that I didn’t have to bring work home with me. My job was my job and it stayed the office. And it really was a bit like Office Space.

At one point, I decided to pick up a substituting teaching gig, just for the extra money. There was one day of subbing that stood out to me. I remember it so specifically. It was an English class. The students were supposed to be reading and two of the crucible. I happen to teach the story several times, while I was still teaching, and I love it. I thought to myself, I could just go in there, and let them read it, or I can read it with them. I open up the teachers edition of the book and, looking at the teachers edition footnotes, I just decided on the fly that I was going to teach it to the kids.

I remember, catching the looks on some of the kids faces when I realized that I knew the story. In fact, there was literally one kid who put his face in his hands and said “oh crap, this guy is a real teacher!”

I knew that day that I had to get back into the business. But I also knew that it would take more time for me to get recertified in South Carolina then it wouldn’t Michigan. Online classes world in infancy at that time. And most universities didn’t offer anywhere near the selection that they offer now. So I ended up buying my time for a little bit.

As fate would have it, my marriage would end shortly after that. Being underemployed, and having no support network to think of, I had little choice but to move back to Michigan, I decided then and there that I would teach again.

It took me about one full school year to get re-certified. But when I was in the college of Ed this time, I had an advantage of some of the other students. I had been in the classroom. Of course, there’s always current teachers in any education class; but this time I was one of them.

This time, reentering the classroom, I was more confident than before. That’s the funny thing about failure and adversity. Overcoming failure and adversity truly do make you stronger. I’m a better teacher now because I went through what I did.