In the past month, I've had at least 10 correspondences by different companies trying to offer me a job in nursing. During my nursing career, my dream was to work in the operating room, but, after serving a long 2-year contract, I refused to sign another contract to learn in the OR. Just a few days ago, I was speaking with someone who was trying to recruit me into the OR. I love everything about the OR, and I occasionally miss the hospital - I considered this job long and hard even to the point of speaking with my husband and planning out my job change (again). My husband adamantly reminded me how happy I am teaching and told me I needed to finally just stop looking at jobs in healthcare because I am where I need to be in teaching. I used this conversation with my husband to reflect on my love for teaching and reaching the students.
The good - What I love about CTE is that the students love my class. It is a break from the ordinary for these students. Most days, they come in incredibly excited about my class because they know they'll learn something they may use one day. Sometimes, they don't even realize they're really learning much because I can make it fun.
The bad - The huge pay cut from my previous career and sometimes missing that career is a constant struggle. I sometimes wonder, "what-if."
The ugly - I only have nine weeks with my students, and I struggle with that. I have a lot of material I have to teach in only a short amount of time (truly about 7 weeks). I also don't have much time to reach the students (my favorite part). It's hard to develop a lasting relationship in only 9 weeks. The other thing I struggle with is that my class is sometimes considered less than academics. If there are any guest speakers in the school, it's during my class. If there is a ceremony, it's during my class. We deal with many interruptions, and that can be frustrating at times.
The good in my new career far outweighs the bad or the ugly. I enjoy teaching, and I enjoy working in the CTE department. I am so proud to have my new career.
Casey-I enjoyed reading your comment. As someone that came from the field and never thought of teaching as an option, I too, weigh my options and ask myself "what if" from time to time. I totally relate to your struggle as a CTE teacher and competing with academic classes. We know that as teachers of career education, we will have to struggle at times to be as "important" as the academic classes. You seem like a great teacher!
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to you thoughts of "what if". I've struggled with that question a lot this school year. This year has been more challenging than last and many days I think that I should go back to the hospital. I realize some years you will have your ups and others your downs so I'm going to keep progressing forward but I'll always keep my foot in the door with nursing.
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