My Restless Mind

I want to make this blog as short as possible and to the point. My mind is restless because I am thinking about switching careers. I am currently trying to look for a job in teaching, and it has been a struggle. All these things cross my mind as to why nobody can simply give me an opportunity. I just don’t get it.

I have the recommendation letters, and I also have the degrees. I have Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree in English. I’m also taking extra classes to earn a credential to teach ESL. Since technology has saturated our educational environment, I am taking a course on Virtual teaching. What is it? My last name, Rosales? Is it maybe not my calling even though I love to teach? Is it a force I have to fight for until I conquer? Is it a lost battle? Should I quit? Is it not for me? Is it me? I hate feeling restless and lost. And yet, this is the moment where I retrace steps and consider options. But which option?

Universities scarcely hire full-time professors. They hire adjuncts who primarily teach part-time. High School teachers need to follow a couple of steps before being fully credentialed in order to teach in public schools. So that means taking exams and the like, and that takes money. In private highs schools, my Master’s degree should suffice but no luck so far.

Even though I am not working full-time as a professor, because it’s mostly teaching assistant and other duties that aren’t teaching, I have gotten the opportunity to talk to young kids, both junior and high school students. 

What I’ve noticed is that they’re quite different from my generation. They have information available at the tips of their thumbs. They’re very much aware of all kinds of mental illnesses, and that’s what makes a lot of their mental space.

I like to work with them and hear their conversations. I think kids keep things very real. Of course, they lie, and they aren’t sophisticated at it. So they get in themselves into trouble because of it.

At times, kids are more honest than adults. Grownups lie through their teeth and believe the lies they are telling you. Adults can be, how kids say it, shady. For instance, whatever gossip they hear from a “reliable character [person],” they take it as a fact–something that bothers me because I believe in giving a person an opportunity to defend their case. What if the person didn’t mean it the way your “reliable source” understood it? I mean, nobody has to be a liar or that bad guy. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding. So speak up and say it to me straight instead of playing the evading game. It’s very immature and anti-professional. 

Finally, this is why my mind is restless (well, part of it): I want to do a second master’s degree. My initial idea is to get one in education. Now, after chatting and spending time with the kids, I am wondering if I should consider a degree in counseling.

I will still teach until I am certified as a counselor if I decide to go this route. I keep thinking, “should my long-term career be in counseling?” I’d be able to help students professionally. This route means another two years of schooling and exams too. However, either which way, both the education and counseling degrees require time and hard work.

©Ana P. Rose & Anaprose 2018.