“All That Hard Work. 0 Chances.” The Big Picture

Before I begin this blog, I want to show you a picture I took at work. And before you let my words influence you. What do you see? Write it in the comments below. I’ll tell you what I saw almost instantly. I thought, “Is this a sign from God?”

While I was at work, all these thoughts were flooding in my mind. Then, suddenly, I paused, and I walked closer to the image above. It reminded me of the duck and bunny drawing. I usually see the bunny.

I don’t know about you, but the pictures seem quite similar. Is it a bunny or a rabbit? But let me know what you saw, please? I’d like to see if it’s just in my mind.

After talking to one of my mentors, I felt so much better. What talking to someone who sees the whole picture from a different point of view can do!

The reason I was so unhappy leaving my job is that I got attached to the environment and students. I walk around campus, and I love it when the students go out of their way to say hi or smile at me. Of course, the staff and faculty are also polite, and I had the opportunity to meet great people. People who work with children or teenagers, your wish is that they accept you because if they do, you know you can figure out a way to teach and inspire them.

Even though I like working at my job, I can’t stay because it’s important to keep pushing boundaries to grow. I love learning. I like improving. I like challenging myself, even if I end up crying in a fetus position.

I wasn’t until I wrote the two week’s letter of resignation that I realized how much I have learned. I’m an observant person, and I like to take a lot of mental notes. I also ask a lot of questions. I talked to a few professors and other teaching assistants and most of the time they were willing to help. Some chuckle here and there because it is quite funny to handle children or teenagers, especially in a time when we can’t smack them with a ruler… I’m just kidding.

Before I arrived at this private school, I didn’t talk to children or teenagers. I talked/talk to adults all the time, well, arguably, some are “adults.” We adults can be immature too. And I have to admit, the kids bullied me for my first class. It wasn’t funny at the moment. But thinking back, it makes me laugh. That no longer happens because I have learned how to interact with them, and I have taken A LOT of advice from everyone.

There are new opportunities opening up. Perhaps they are not big but for now, I’m heading in a way that I feel comfortable being uncomfortable because I have big goals. Big goals aren’t supposed to make us feel comfortable. Perhaps they make us hopeful, and they turn us into dreamers–but positively, not pleasant. Like I mentioned in the previous blog, I am going to miss the students above all. However, this is something I must do. Move on.

And as much as I hate the phrase, life is all about perspective and learning to see the positives over the negatives, it’s true. Also, only because the building isn’t entirely finished, it doesn’t mean we aren’t building a solid structure. So keep building.

©Ana P. Rose 2018