Question 5: Getting There

Now that I've changed my major, people keep asking me what I want to do. And I'm finding that answer is even more complicated than before.

See, I want to advise a high school newspaper and teach honors/AP courses. But the exact location is flexible. And the way to get there is undetermined. But you can't just say, "I want to run a high school newspaper and teach AP courses," because then the person asks, "How will you get to that point? That's not a job you can just walk into," and I'm obligated to explain.

So I graduate, right? And now I have a license that's valid in 8 states, none that I really want to be in. But I can teach there for 5 years, go back to school to get my master's, and then I'll be solid for teaching nationally. Or I can do Teach for America for two years and be solid to teach nationally (however, if I do this option, I still need to figure out how to get a master's before I teach for 5 years). And then I can get my butt to one of a few places. See, if I go to Seattle it's more going to be that I'm closer to being ready to have a family. If I'm not, I'll head to somewhere in Colorado or Truckee or hell, even Alaska and teach the little rippers how to write. And offer extra credit for beating me down the slopes. (No joke, I would do that. Wouldn't that be the most awesome teacher ever? It's like if you lived on Hawaii and your teacher said, hey catch a more awesome wave than me on this day and you get extra credit.)

Well that explains the location. Now how do I get the exact job I want? If there is an opening for a journalism teacher, obviously I'm going to jump on that. But chances are that won't happen. So I'll take an English teacher position, teaching regular 9th and 10th grade classes or electives. I'll involve myself in a club or something, offer to run the debate club...along those lines. I'll work my way up - start teaching honors courses, push the school to have AP classes and volunteer for the training to teach those courses. If I'm not at the school or district I want, I'll keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities, while making sure that none of the administration are aware by keeping good relationships with them.

It's really not that complicated, it's the same thing that any teacher goes through when getting where they want. I'm working with a teacher who is about to move his family to a suburb of Chicago so he can get his master's and possibly work at his old high school. It's not like he's exactly unhappy here - he's quite the celebrated teacher and the administration likes him and he is paid enough to live in the nicer neighborhoods. But this place isn't his goal and never was, so he's moving on.

It seems like the first ten years of my career will be spent getting to where I want to be. And by that point, I probably will be about ready to take a break from teaching to raise kids. And then the cycle starts all over. Find available job, get to school I want, start working toward the exact job I want. It's really no wonder most teachers leave the profession within 5 years.