When I think about my career in education, I think about the strange twists and turns that got me here and feel both lucky and proud. I think it all truly began when I was living in New Zealand. I was working for the Commerce Commission (one of the few jobs I attained that had to do with my college major- economics) and it was only a matter of time until my visa expired and I had to be moving on. I applied to stay working for the Commerce Commission in order to stay in the country but I hadn’t had much success. When my mom asked me what my plan was if I couldn’t get a job and stay in New Zealand I probably said something like, “…plan?” I knew I wanted to keep traveling and my mom came up with a genius idea- having a back-up plan. I hadn’t been in the working world much at this point and the idea of having back-up plans was new (didn’t really need back-up plans while I was in college- I was going to graduate and that was that). Then in her great wisdom she suggested the idea that changed my life- getting Teaching English as a Foreign Language certified. (I must give a shout out to my Mom, who has given me so much magnificent advice over the years, some of which I actually took: Mom, you have helped take my life to beautiful heights and I love you so much!) Then my back-up plan could be teaching abroad. I took the online courses (100 hours) and got certified during the final months in New Zealand. Maybe I wouldn’t even use it- but it would always be there in case I needed a back-up.
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| The rope swing on Mt. Vic in Wellington, New Zealand. One of my favorite spots. |
I never got the job in New Zealand. I posted on my facebook something along the lines of, “Help! My visa is expiring and I have no place to go! What ever will I do?” Here’s where the luck kicked in- an Australian guy that I had met years earlier while traveling in Europe saw this and messaged me. “Hey Kim! I’m actually travelling to the US for a month. Why don’t you get a visa for Australia and live in my apartment while I’m gone. You can find a job and place to live from there.” And that is how I ended up living in Australia for a year. This is also why I love facebook and will always sing its praises.
While in Australia I volunteered some Saturdays for a few weeks to try and see what teaching English might be like. I joined an organization called SAIL (Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning) that tutored refugees, children as well as adults. It was a good place to be and the only reason I stopped going was because they moved locations- it had taken me an hour train ride each way to get there and then it became 3 hours. I tutored 2 people while I was there: A 5 year old girl that I read books to and a high school girl that I helped with her chemistry homework. It wasn’t much, but it was a positive experience.
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| Kissing a roo in Aus |
I tired once again to stay in the country I had lived and worked in for a year, and once again was unsuccessful. It was time for the back-up plan to take effect- teaching English in Asia. Originally I had the idea that I wanted to go to China- it seems like an interesting enough place. Through my research I learned I could make more money teaching English in South Korea and so then I applied and got the job.
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| One of my kindergarten classes |
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| X-Mas pageant! |
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| This field trip involved cleaning gravestones as a sign of respect. |
While in Korea, I did something stupid- I met a boy and fell in love. Now, the less said about this person the better since it’s all followed with things like, “how did I not see this as a red flag?!” or “I can’t believe I dated that guy” or “UGH” all accompanied with an eye roll. The point is he had an interesting plan. He wanted to move to Colorado, gain residency after a year (to lower tuition), then go to grad school to get a teaching license. After that, he thought he’d have so many more opportunities to teach abroad! Well, I was in love and found myself without a back-up plan of my own, so I thought it sounded great to me. Since I had no back-up plan, it’s not as if I was giving anything up, so for me there seemed to be really no downside. Colorado, here we come!
When I moved to Colorado, my first idea was to keep building my teaching resume at all costs. I soon got a part-time job tutoring high school students taking their SATs and ACTs. I really enjoyed working with high school students one-on-one and $20 an hour wasn’t too shabby. The problem was I was only working about 4 hours a week so I had to keep up the job hunt. I applied to absolutely everything I could find education-related, regardless of whether I was qualified for it or not. I finally got a call back and an interview for a Pre-Kindergarten position from a posting I had found on craigslist (craigslist! After all the job search engines I had been on!) and got the job. I was officially a teacher again!
I finally had my own classroom again consisting of 26 four and five year-olds and an assistant. I learned A LOT being a Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher. One of the most valuable lessons I learned that I continue to pass on is: apply for jobs you are in no way qualified for and think there is no way you could get. Technically my employment there was illegal. The people who hired me thought they found a loophole in my college transcripts, and therefor did not have to be certified to teach Early Childhood Education- WRONG. When the licensing people came to inspect, our bosses brought another teacher into our room and I was told to take a break. I felt a little like a fraud but hey, it wasn’t my mistake. They never fired me or demoted me, they just let it slide. When I put this on my resume I kept asking friends, “but what if someone asks, ‘oh you taught pre-kindergarten! You must be ECE qualified!’” I couldn’t help thinking someone would out me for the fraud I was. Thankfully, it’s never happened and now if it were to come up I would just laugh and explain exactly what happened. A quasi-fraudulent background is now just part of a charming anecdote.
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| Me and Jackson- look at this cutie pants!!! |
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| My classroom |
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| Forever Tying Shoes: A Pre-K Story |
After a year it was time to start the process of going to school and getting my teaching license. I applied to UC Denver and easily got in. This school and my experiences were horrible and I won’t get into it now- that’s a LONG post on it’s own. I went to classes, wrote the papers, and did my student teaching at a hellhole called Goldrick Elementary. I quit my tutoring job and then got a different tutoring job for a federally funded elementary after school program called Orion’s Mind which paid a whopping $40 an hour. I always took these opportunities because I was always thinking about building my resume in education. I guess that’s something that I am quite proud of and take credit for: having the drive and initiative to take on these extra responsibilities to make a better future for myself.
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| Field trip to the Denver zoo |
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| My fourth graders at Goldrick |
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| Preparing the kids for state testing in Colorado |
I finished school with fantastic grades and then started the grueling application process. I was still planning on going abroad, but during the final year in Denver I started to like it and also applied all over the place in Colorado. What worked for me when applying to jobs and what I recommend for others that are searching: apply to at least 4 jobs a day, or spend 3 solid hours a day applying, whichever one comes first. It takes a LONG time to find jobs, tailor your resume and cover letter to each individual job, and fill out all those online forms for each job. Don’t burn yourself out- focus on those 4 applications or those 3 hours and then spend your day enjoying the sunshine.
I had 3 interviews in Colorado (not counting a job fair I attended where I had a few) and 3 international interviews. The best interview I had in Colorado was at a beautiful school in gorgeous Vail. The interview went wonderfully (I actually heard the woman secretary say to the principal, “I LOVED her” through the widow) and I absolutely love Vail (I went snowboarding there and fell in love and seeing it in the early summer was breathtaking) and I set my hopes up really high. When I got notified that they chose someone who was more qualified, I was heart-broken and cried for 2 days. The principal was incredibly nice about it and I knew he felt bad. I actually got a call about a week later from a principal in Glenwood Springs- the principal in Vail had told him about me and recommended me to him (that was so flattering- it still warms my heart!) but I had already accepted my job by then.
My international interviews were for schools in Thailand, Russia, and Turkey. The Thailand job was for a Kindergarten teacher, which I was not enthused about. The Russian position turned out to be teaching English, which I was newly a snob about because you don’t need a teaching license to teach English. I had my interview for the school in Turkey which I thought went pretty well, but I wasn’t too optimistic about my chances.
During this application time, I was riddled with anxiety. It was early June and most positions had been filled. To take my mind off it, my boyfriend at the time took me camping and tubing down a river (that was my first time and holy crap that was SO MUCH FUN everyone should do it at least once). On the ride home I got my cell reception back after 2 days in the mountains. I got the email with the job offer in Turkey. I started crying with joy in the car- I have a job! I have a job ABROAD!
Although this was my first year as a licensed teacher, it’s also my fourth year teaching. Next year I will be in the same place, in the same grade, in the same classroom, with the same co-teacher- for the first time ever I know a little bit about what to expect. I cannot wait to take what I’ve learned this year and apply it with my new class. I think this year has been the best year of my life- I’ve had stability mixed with excitement and the unknown.
I absolutely love the career I have chosen. It’s been a long, strange journey to get where I am and I could not feel more lucky or proud.
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| Plus one of my students brought a tiny owl into class last week- bonus! |
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