Hi friends! The Universe has been treating me to a lot of WTFery so I felt this was the perfect post to share here. As you see we’ve got Deelylah Mullin visiting with us, so enjoy! [Yes, I’m trying to tie things all together and honestly I know Deelylah is going to much more entertaining and interesting that I am today. So THERE YOU HAVE IT!] WHEE!
WTF Was I Thinking?
Many thanks to Limecello for letting me guest post today! Y’all are getting a bit of stream-of-consciousness about stuff today. 🙂
I am a teacher. Anyone that’s ever been a teacher knows it’s much more work to get ready for a substitute than to actually show up for work. Teachers work all the time when they’re sick, stressed-out, and a host of other reasons normal people don’t go to work.
I *chose* to be a teacher. This is all on me.
I am super excited to see some of my friends on Wednesday. Now, most of you are probably thinking, “Wait. It’s summer. Teachers don’t work in the summer!” Most of the time, you’d be right. However, I teach in a residential placement facility. We have summer school. So, for me to see some of the special people in my life that I don’t get to see often, I have to make sub plans. Which are the bane of my existence.
I’m starting my fourth year teaching in this location. I’ve been teaching since 1991. Yes. That makes next year my silver anniversary of teaching. You’d think I would have a ‘system’ down by now, but that’s not the case. Legislators keep sticking their noses into my classroom. Standards and curricula change. We need to collect data on everything we do. What makes that even more of a challenge is the fact I’m also a special education teacher. Even MORE data.
So, by this point you’re thinking, “WTF does this have to do with anything pertinent to my life?” Bear with me. I’m getting there.
With bachelor degrees in music and English, as well as that master’s in special education, I’ve taught music for fourteen years, English for five years, college composition for two years, and I was a special education resource room teacher for three years. I like teaching. It makes me happy when the lightbulb goes on and my students ‘get’ a concept.
But it’s not my passion.
I always knew something was missing. When I was in college in the 80s, I majored in music because I was awarded a full-ride, ability-based scholarship. I added an English major, with a creative writing focus. I’ve always wanted to write. In March of 2013, I started editing books, quite by accident.
In editing, I found my passion.
Editing makes me happy. It uses my skillsets, and I still get to teach my authors a thing or two about words. Even though it’s a behind-the-scenes thing, I still take pride in my author’s achievements. When I get an email with recent statistics and new news about a book that ends with, “We made that!!!” I get all warm and fuzzy inside. I always want to sit on my yoga ball chair at my desk and edit. I don’t really consider it work most of the time. The adrenaline rush of making a deadline is a high unlike any other for me. My stomach gets butterflies on release day, and I wait alongside authors for the first reviews to come in. I watch rankings on retailers.
If I could edit full-time, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I still don’t know WTF I was thinking when I decided to be a teacher, other than I like working with words, and I like problem solving. I mean, what *do* you do with a BA in music, other than teach? Not much, especially when I didn’t want to move away from my family. I knew I wasn’t going to become a great author five minutes after graduating. So, I taught.
If I weren’t teaching summer school, I wouldn’t have to make sub plans to spend the day with friends on Wednesday. I might be a little resentful of my teaching gig because I have to spend time, in which I could be editing, to finish those plans, probably. If I were editing full time, I’d just have to be ahead on my projects so I could afford, time-wise, to not work for a day. Piece of cake.
So, I’ll make my plans and continue to wonder WTF I was thinking. But someday, I’ll be able to do, full time, what brings me joy. And that’s play with words.
I do a little editing on the side, too. I was Poli Sci (in the 80s, too). But, you sound more like my cousin who majored in music, but she went back to get her ECE BA, then she went back for her Masters.