Hello and welcome to whatever kind of Saturday you want it to be here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is April 2nd, and that’s no fooling!
Folks, as peeps on Facebook like to say, "I did a thing." I went back to work. And by this I mean I returned to the workforce as an employee. I became a substitute teacher.
This was both thrilling and terrifying. Thrilling because, for the last three years, I've been working with high school seniors one-on-one with their personal statements for their college and scholarship applications and I was reminded that I love working with young people. There is a genuine joy in helping them uncover and articulate their brilliance and celebrate it. It's also a delight to help them write a well-crafted essay. It's like the trifecta of the three cherries lining up on the slot machine - ping - ping - ping - JACKPOT!
It's also terrifying because the last time I was an employee - as in employed (not contracted) by an entity - was almost twenty years ago when I was a teacher at a language school in the Czech Republic.
In my chapter, "'SAHM' I Am: Defining My Value in the Workplace", in Building on Business Basics, Book 5 of the Cornerstones & Keystones anthology published in 2022 (put together by Keystone Speakers, of which I'm a member), I share my story about how I ended up becoming a stay-at-home mom (aka SAHM) and the realization that, the longer I stayed out of the workforce, the harder it would be to stay relevant to the workforce. Another mom summed up the fear of returning to work best when she said, "I wouldn't know how."
It was this fear that propelled me to consider how I might both be a stay-at-home parent while keeping myself relevant to the workforce when the older kids were toddlers and babes. The solution became my business, Red Shoes Writing Solutions. Self-employment gave me the flexibility that I needed (and that my family benefited from) while still keeping me engaged in a world outside of our home and family. I am so grateful I made this decision because it absolutely kept me moving forward developing a skill set, honing my talents, utilizing my strengths, creating a network, and keeping me mentally sharp and able to converse and interact with adults.
But being self-employed is not the same as being employed. Working on your own means creating your own schedule and sticking to it - more or less. Managing your own projects - and adjusting as needed. Finding your own clients - and choosing with whom you want or do not want to work. Working for someone else means adhering to the schedule assigned to you, navigating the projects you are given, and working with whomever you are assigned. But, goldarnit, I was so excited at the prospect of working with students again that I wanted to give it a try. Besides, I wasn't committing to a full-time job. Not even a part-time job. This was subbing. I still had the freedom to say yes or no when I got the call. I wasn't closing shop on the Red Shoes. I was making room to grow professionally. And, lastly, I recognized that I had been in my "cave" working alone for far too long. People energize me. It was time to come out and mingle with the people.
My first assignment was for an English teacher. I was very excited because - yay! - something in my wheelhouse. "My first day of school!" I yelled excitedly throughout the house. If someone had offered to take my picture outside with my handbag and lunchbox, I wouldn't have said no.
The WAKWIR* rode with me to school and dropped me off at the office. If he'd said, "Good luck, honey! Have a great first day!" and had hugged me, I would have reveled in it. Instead, he said, "Bye, mom" and left me there, standing in front of the secretary. I got my key, badge, and binder and headed to class.
Stepping into that classroom and standing in front of a room full of students, felt like a homecoming - even if it was only for a day. I recognized I had a unique outsider's perspective on the lessons planned. Sometimes it felt like I was a guest speaker facilitating a greater conversation than subbing.
My next assignment was a five-day stretch for the music teacher. While it's true I have a musical spouse and children, everything I know about music I learned in the 5th grade from Mrs. Dullum at Nisswa Elementary. I had also been in choir in high school, so I knew something about reading music. But I said yes, because, as my husband has pointed out over the years, I have the ability to teach something even if I don't know how to do it. When we first moved to the Czech Republic, for example, I helped his then 6-year-old brother how to read Czech, even though I myself didn't know Czech. (Note: It's a phonetic language, so really, this is not difficult. I just sounded convincing.) Even though my husband grew up downhill skiing, I was the one who finished the job of teaching the Oldest how to successfully traverse a hill when she was four years old (after one private lesson with a pro) when I, myself, did not know how to ski. "Make the pizza! Make the pizza!" I encouraged her, as she figured out how to angle her skis into a triangle shape.
So, I rose to the occasion and applied every bit of musical knowledge I had. I even had some bonus tidbits to offer to the students such as the upcoming debut of Duluth-composer Gealynn Lea's original music in Broadway's Macbeth and showed the students videos of cool-dude-duo 2Cellos playing Seven Nation Army and Despacito.
And I learned a ton as well. I learned about whole steps and half steps on the guitar. How to play the A, E, and D chords on a guitar. The treble clef is also called G clef, and the bass clef is the F clef. I learned All Cows Eat Grass and Good Boys Do Fine Always on the bass clef. Grand staff was new to me and the parenthesis-thingy on the left connecting two staffs is called a brace. I came up with a couple of my own tricks for remembering musical fun facts such as Heath “Ledger” lines and Middle C is for “Center.” In homeroom, I learned about street bike-powered lawnmowers and that it's possible to play video games on calculators. (The loophole for "ABSOLUTELY NO CELLPHONES IN CLASS.")
Despite feeling exhausted due to the shift from my normal routine, I absolutely loved it. The world is an amazing place and it felt so good to be out in it again. Students are interesting, curious people who have lots to say once they get talking. I feel a dormant part of myself awakening and am looking forward to more subbing adventures!
On This Day
Historic Highlights (credits)
Happy Birthday to You!🎶
Remembering You
Kim
*Wannaskan Almanac Kid-Writer-in-Residence
ReplyDeleteWOO!!