Ya know how your teachers never seem like real people? no matter how long ago you were their student? Well I was recently added as a friend to a former professor's real facebook account. Having graduated I guess I am now at the peer level. Does this mean I can call him by his first name? Does it mean that next time I'm in town we can karaoke? What are the boundaries now?
But I will say one thing, my entire perspective of the man is changed. I haven't lost respect or anything, but I definitely see him as a person rather than a professor. He too counts down the number of school days until the end of the semester, he cares about what's going on in the world of sports. He has snarky friends. He has friends that *gasp* aren't professors at SUU!
I guess I understand why our professors distance their personal lives from their students, I certainly will WHEN I start teaching. (see how I did that? Just because things aren't going my way just yet doesn't mean they won't) I definitely don't want my students knowing when I have a date or my weekend activities. Teachers have to have a life outside of school, something that is explicitly (double connotation of explicit) theirs. Otherwise I'm pretty sure they'd all go bat **** crazy!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Ready or not, here I come...
I really started this blog because I had some life changes in the works. Well today, one of them became more or less official. For the past few weeks I have been looking into becoming a nanny in Europe. It may seem a little random and sudden, and quite honestly it is.
I was talking via the facebook to my friend Meredith Morse. She is currently living in Geneva Switzerland with a cute little family. I started talking to her about what was going on here in the States. I had just seen Inception, she told me that she hadn't been able to find it in English yet. Clearly I recommended she not see it until she could see it in English because any distraction (subtitles, or the actors lips moving differently than the French audio) would be detrimental to her viewing experience. I told her I'd send her a copy when it came out on DVD. She threw out "or you could bring it when you come visit me" as one of those kind-of-a-joke-but-more-like-a-guilt-trip jokes. I told her I clearly would not have the money for that considering my dismal job situation. She recommended I do what she's doing. I looked at the website and made a profile as kind of a long game super back up plan.
The next day I received 2 e-mails alerting me of people that were interested in me. One of these families was Maria and Thomas Reisinger of Marchtrenk, Austria. We exchanged a few e-mails, discussed setting up a Skype interview. Then I didn't hear from them for awhile, I talked with other families, some pretty seriously. Eventually I said "alright, if I don't hear back from Maria by September 24th I'll go with the family in Dusseldorf" Well I checked my e-mail that day, and low and behold, an e-mail from Maria. At this point I had basically made my mind up about going with another family. Suddenly I had a decision to make. But it's funny how things just fall into place. Right after I talked to Maria on Skype (last Sunday) I e-mailed Nina and told her about my situation and that if she were serious, we needed to formalize it. She e-mailed me back the next day saying that they'd found someone that was already living in their town and they were going to go with her, blah blah blah. I was a little bummed, but also glad that I didn't have to choose between two good things.
I talked to Maria and her Husband today, they are really funny people. We both felt good about each other and they officially invited me to come work with them. And so after all of the families that I've been in communication with over the last month, I ended up with the first family. It feels right. The timing is good, it's after Christmas and after my sister has her baby. It's just right. For the first time since I graduated in May I feel like I'm doing what the universe wants me to do. Even when I was looking for teaching jobs and filling out a million applications and going to interviews, none of it felt comfortable. I know life isn't supposed to be comfortable and that change is good etc. However, your life decisions shouldn't make you feel uneasy. I feel totally easy. As in the opposite of uneasy not as in... well easy. You know what I mean.
I was talking via the facebook to my friend Meredith Morse. She is currently living in Geneva Switzerland with a cute little family. I started talking to her about what was going on here in the States. I had just seen Inception, she told me that she hadn't been able to find it in English yet. Clearly I recommended she not see it until she could see it in English because any distraction (subtitles, or the actors lips moving differently than the French audio) would be detrimental to her viewing experience. I told her I'd send her a copy when it came out on DVD. She threw out "or you could bring it when you come visit me" as one of those kind-of-a-joke-but-more-like-a-guilt-trip jokes. I told her I clearly would not have the money for that considering my dismal job situation. She recommended I do what she's doing. I looked at the website and made a profile as kind of a long game super back up plan.
The next day I received 2 e-mails alerting me of people that were interested in me. One of these families was Maria and Thomas Reisinger of Marchtrenk, Austria. We exchanged a few e-mails, discussed setting up a Skype interview. Then I didn't hear from them for awhile, I talked with other families, some pretty seriously. Eventually I said "alright, if I don't hear back from Maria by September 24th I'll go with the family in Dusseldorf" Well I checked my e-mail that day, and low and behold, an e-mail from Maria. At this point I had basically made my mind up about going with another family. Suddenly I had a decision to make. But it's funny how things just fall into place. Right after I talked to Maria on Skype (last Sunday) I e-mailed Nina and told her about my situation and that if she were serious, we needed to formalize it. She e-mailed me back the next day saying that they'd found someone that was already living in their town and they were going to go with her, blah blah blah. I was a little bummed, but also glad that I didn't have to choose between two good things.
I talked to Maria and her Husband today, they are really funny people. We both felt good about each other and they officially invited me to come work with them. And so after all of the families that I've been in communication with over the last month, I ended up with the first family. It feels right. The timing is good, it's after Christmas and after my sister has her baby. It's just right. For the first time since I graduated in May I feel like I'm doing what the universe wants me to do. Even when I was looking for teaching jobs and filling out a million applications and going to interviews, none of it felt comfortable. I know life isn't supposed to be comfortable and that change is good etc. However, your life decisions shouldn't make you feel uneasy. I feel totally easy. As in the opposite of uneasy not as in... well easy. You know what I mean.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
to blog:
blog: (blɒɡ)
-- v
1. to author an online diary or chronology of thoughts. Abbreviation of Weblog.
2. something I'm probably not cool enough to do, but this isn't for you it's for me.
Remember ten years ago when you were asked by some teacher or school counselor "where will you be in ten years?" Well, ten years ago I was starting seventh grade. I was in ninth grade algebra and at the beginning of the path to Engineerdom. I thought at 22 I'd be finishing my bachelors in Civil engineering and applying to masters programs for environmental engineering/environmental law. I figured I would be married and I never thought I would be in debt at this point. And I certainly wouldn't be living with my parents.
When I entered my program at SUU teachers were in high demand. You were "guaranteed" a job when you finished. I completely overloaded my course work to finish in 4 years. Well here I am 22 years old with a bachelors degree in Music Education in the worst job market since WWII, with budget cuts transforming into jobs being cut and arts programs being downsized. Needless to say, I am not teaching music for the 2010-11 school year. I am in debt to my parents, I work for barely more than minimum wage at a job that is physically and emotionally expensive and I sleep in the same room I slept in from ages 3-12 which shares a wall with my parents bedroom. Though I have completed many of the rites of passage to adulthood (i.e. graduating high school, moving away from home, graduating university) I still feel like an adolescent. I sneak out of the house, I escape to friends apartments, I mow lawns at the house and at my parents' rental properties. It's like the last 5 years didn't happen.
I know I've talked to a few of you about this feeling before and you have all been very supportive and I don't mean to whine, but comparing 2005 Beth to 2010 Beth we find that 2010 is in more debt, more 'experienced' (if ya know what I mean) and weighs more. Other than that, not a lot has changed. "But you have a degree!" yeah I hear ya, my degree is making me eight bucks an hour working graveyard shifts. I actually made more and had better hours the summer after I graduated high school. I worked 9-5 for ten bucks an hour, I had paid vacation and sick days. So 2010 could actually be seen as a step back.
But in life's disappointments we have to learn to find detours as opposed to dead ends. When else in my life am I going to have nothing tying me down? Will I ever again have no obligation to anyone? What exactly is keeping me here in Salt Lake City? Answers: Never, No, Nothing (respectively). I am done planning my life around other people and their expectations. Do I love the people that I'd been living for? For the most part yes, and they love me and will continue to love me in spite of my new found self motivation. I am no longer going to sit around a let life happen. I am looking into new opportunities all the time.
I have a few things in the works, and for fear of jinxing myself, I won't discuss them here until they are a little more solid. But stay tuned because I will keep you posted.
And so middle school teachers and counselors, as much as I'm a fan of shooting for something remind the kids that they are going to change and their plans will change and the world will change. Stop trying to get kids to specialize so early. It used to be that your Gen. Eds. in college were to help you figure out your future, then you were supposed to choose in high school, now I see kids so limited in their "electives" that it seems you have to choose your path in junior high school. KNOCK IT OFF!
-- v
1. to author an online diary or chronology of thoughts. Abbreviation of Weblog.
2. something I'm probably not cool enough to do, but this isn't for you it's for me.
Remember ten years ago when you were asked by some teacher or school counselor "where will you be in ten years?" Well, ten years ago I was starting seventh grade. I was in ninth grade algebra and at the beginning of the path to Engineerdom. I thought at 22 I'd be finishing my bachelors in Civil engineering and applying to masters programs for environmental engineering/environmental law. I figured I would be married and I never thought I would be in debt at this point. And I certainly wouldn't be living with my parents.
When I entered my program at SUU teachers were in high demand. You were "guaranteed" a job when you finished. I completely overloaded my course work to finish in 4 years. Well here I am 22 years old with a bachelors degree in Music Education in the worst job market since WWII, with budget cuts transforming into jobs being cut and arts programs being downsized. Needless to say, I am not teaching music for the 2010-11 school year. I am in debt to my parents, I work for barely more than minimum wage at a job that is physically and emotionally expensive and I sleep in the same room I slept in from ages 3-12 which shares a wall with my parents bedroom. Though I have completed many of the rites of passage to adulthood (i.e. graduating high school, moving away from home, graduating university) I still feel like an adolescent. I sneak out of the house, I escape to friends apartments, I mow lawns at the house and at my parents' rental properties. It's like the last 5 years didn't happen.
I know I've talked to a few of you about this feeling before and you have all been very supportive and I don't mean to whine, but comparing 2005 Beth to 2010 Beth we find that 2010 is in more debt, more 'experienced' (if ya know what I mean) and weighs more. Other than that, not a lot has changed. "But you have a degree!" yeah I hear ya, my degree is making me eight bucks an hour working graveyard shifts. I actually made more and had better hours the summer after I graduated high school. I worked 9-5 for ten bucks an hour, I had paid vacation and sick days. So 2010 could actually be seen as a step back.
But in life's disappointments we have to learn to find detours as opposed to dead ends. When else in my life am I going to have nothing tying me down? Will I ever again have no obligation to anyone? What exactly is keeping me here in Salt Lake City? Answers: Never, No, Nothing (respectively). I am done planning my life around other people and their expectations. Do I love the people that I'd been living for? For the most part yes, and they love me and will continue to love me in spite of my new found self motivation. I am no longer going to sit around a let life happen. I am looking into new opportunities all the time.
I have a few things in the works, and for fear of jinxing myself, I won't discuss them here until they are a little more solid. But stay tuned because I will keep you posted.
And so middle school teachers and counselors, as much as I'm a fan of shooting for something remind the kids that they are going to change and their plans will change and the world will change. Stop trying to get kids to specialize so early. It used to be that your Gen. Eds. in college were to help you figure out your future, then you were supposed to choose in high school, now I see kids so limited in their "electives" that it seems you have to choose your path in junior high school. KNOCK IT OFF!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)