What made you mad today?

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, thanks for the heads-up!

[MauEvig]

*sigh*

...

...

...I lost my job...long story...but suffice to say I was pretty angry about that...

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, no, Mau! Tell us about it when/if you're ready. I have lost jobs in my lifetime, too. Never fun at all.

[Andybev01]

Same here.

Not fun but 'this too shall pass'.

[Spookymufu]

you lost your job too Andy??

Man it sucks losing a job just before Christmas.....

[MauEvig]

The short version of the story is that problems with fellow employees forced me into quitting, and the boss drilled it into my head that apparently I "wasn't the right fit."
It was certainly much more than that, but I will be honest the entire thing was devastating to me. I loved working with those kids, and yes there were days when I got a little annoyed and even nervous but I knew it was worth it. I was backed into a corner and I really wanted things to work out and didn't really want to quit. Apparently they had a problem with my "communication skills" and instead of trying to take steps to help me work through them, they wanted to put me on probation, or have me quit. I didn't agree with her decision one bit.

The problem lies in the fact that if I were to tell another employer that I worked there at all, I'd be trapped in a bad situation where I'm not sure how to turn the reason I'd left into a positive reason. Sure I can talk about how I loved working with the kids all day long, but finding an explanation for why I left...that's going to be difficult. That's something I should probably talk to a career Councillor about. I think I'm better off leaving it off future applications.

Yeah it does stink being fired before the holiday season.

But I've decided I'm going to rise above this. I've had the whole weekend to recover, now it's time to get back on track with my life. I let the local school district know that I can go back to subbing full time. I'm going to have a nice chat with the employment commission or the unemployment office, and I'm going to apply to sub at another school district which won't be too far to drive (it's near my college.) Things are going to get better. I'm not letting this keep me from becoming a teacher. I don't care if the carecenter at the YMCA thinks I'm not a good fit for working with kids. I did just fine with the kids I had while subbing. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have been called at least 4 times with the district. They wouldn't have called me back in at all! But I have realized that I might be better with the older kids. When I did my observations with 7th graders, I felt like I belonged in that kind of environment. Both subbing and working at the Y I only really had a chance to work with younger kids, the oldest of which while subbing were 5th graders. I have to admit I wasn't used to being around kids that young. lol. It was just a little awkward.

So I'm choosing not to see this as a loss...but a life lesson and a wake up call. And I will become a stronger individual because of it.

[Andybev01]

you lost your job too Andy??

Man it sucks losing a job just before Christmas.....

"I didn't lose it. I know where it is but when I go there someone else is doing it." - Bobcat Goldthwait

You know the saying 'the rent's too damp high!'?

On the west coast it's because of the company I worked for. The median monthly rent in San Francisco for a 2 bedroom is $5,000.
That's the middle, not the highest.

Even with the company discount of 20%, my tiny studio was over $1500 per month, and being dyed-in-wool capitalists raises at the company were seldom and small.

I'm back at the house through the holidays then I'm relocating to Oregon to be near family.

Tired, mid-life crisis, nervous breakdown?

Yes.

Regret?; no.

So long California, may God help you.

[witchy]

Wow, Andy, rent is horrible, I can't even imagine paying that, my house payment is $800 for a 1600 hundred square foot house in Mo. and we own it.

I hope you keep in touch when you move to Oregon, good luck.

[witchy]

Mau, soo sorry to here you had to quit your job, thing will get better. Take care, Witchy

[Murfreesboro]

Andy, when you posted that, I had no idea you were talking about a current situation. I thought you meant that, like me, at some point in your life you had lost a job. Wow. Please do keep in touch with us when you relocate.

Mau, everyone who teaches will tell you that he/she has a favorite age group. My husband really loved teaching the middle-school-aged kids (7th & 8th graders for him), and I have known others who liked that age group. That is a gift, really, because many people cannot bear to be around young adolescents. If you feel a calling to teach that age, you should be highly employable and very successful!

[Andybev01]

I was referring to past jobs, but it is applicable to present time as well.

Regardless of the situation I had to do it.

Things around here are so insane that it's difficult to get across to what degree.

Imagine those prices, coupled with crippling traffic and ... fill in the blanks for everything related to what constitutes a 'normal' life then quadruple it, then you might have an inkling of day-to-day in the bay area.

Everyone is tense all the time and if they are not they are clueless, on Prozac or both.

Also, in this day and age of instantaneous global communication I find it charming that you think I won't be online, here, 24/7 as per usual

[MauEvig]

Perhaps Andy the concern stems from the fact that we've yet to see Mike show up again since he said he was going to move and take to the road. Just a conjecture of course.

But I'm sure things will be alright. You got to do what you got to do y'know?

Sounds a lot like New York to be honest, although I always thought New York was pricey, I can't imagine paying $5,000 a month for rent. That's crazy! Inflation must be ridiculous in California. Granted I never lived in New York city and I heard things were pretty pricey there as well, and crazy. Although I doubt it's nearly that expensive. Isn't minimum wage like $20 an hour in California? It's really no wonder!

Anyway I wish you the best of luck with your move. It's funny though because an old "friend" (I say in quotation marks because I think she was more like a...fair weather kind of friend...and we're friends on Facebook but I wouldn't say we're close friends by any means) went to CA and was very successful there. She said she came there with barely anything and now she's got it made. I guess it just depends on circumstance. I made my major move to VA, and that was a big enough move. I don't think I'd want to make another big move like that for a long time! (Unless of course I either win the lottery or hit it big with my Novel like JK Rowling...and then we could like get our own Castle and Island somewhere lol)

Murf I think you're right. I think it's just something I feel in my gut. I feel like I was meant to make a difference in the lives of older kids. I really hope I'll be employable and successful and I appreciate your encouragement. I think older kids are fun because they're still kids, but are starting to develop the minds of adults. They are trying on new identities. It's a real period of exploration for them. I find that a very interesting time period in the life of a child. I feel like at that age I can start to use more complex reasoning, but school can still be fun. Not that High School can't be fun, but I think there's more of a willingness on the kid's part to make learning fun.

[Murfreesboro]

Yes, I was thinking about Mike. I don't want to lose another stalwart member from our little cohort.

Mau, I know one middle school teacher who believes it is the best age of all to teach, because the kids are very passionate about their interests, but they haven't yet gotten so distracted by jobs and romances, the way they are in high school. And my husband has often said that he always felt he could have more influence over the younger kids. He is in high school now, but he says the high school kids are already pretty set in whatever direction they are going to go. That if he saw a younger adolescent making big mistakes, he could maybe help redirect them, but by high school, it is usually too late. So I think you are probably right to follow your instincts and seek to work with the group you feel most attracted to. There are many opportunities to be an influence for good with kids that age.

[Spookymufu]

Andy, I know exactly how it is, thats why I moved away from S Cal in 1998, well those reasons and a few others.....

Good luck on the move, I used to want to retire in Oregon, but I doubt I ever will.....

[MauEvig]

Can't say I blame you all for moving then. I know the cost of living in New York is bad enough...but that's just ridiculous.

I agree with you Murf. I think it will be the best age to teach. Plus I can say that those years were probably the ones I enjoyed the most. About 10th grade, things started to go down hill for me really fast. I hated my High School years. But 7th and 8th Grade was when I had the best teachers and the best grades. I was even introduced to more creative writing mediums in 8th grade like poetry. Granted, It's been forever since I took up poetry, but I have to say it was in that grade level that I took an interest in it. I think my own personal positive experiences with those grades has made me want to teach that particular age group. Sure I was bullied by this one kid a lot, but over all for the most part they were the best years of Public Education prior to College. As far as College experience goes, I think my experiences at Dabney have been the best I've had. I hope 4 year school proves to be the same way. I think that you're right that teachers have the most influence over students that age, and I'm talking even just from the student's perspective. Personally I'm looking forward to it.