The Perks of Being Unemployed

Instead of feeling depressed and unworthy all the time, I decided to pick myself up with the pros of being an unemployed teacher. Don't get me wrong; there are plenty of cons.  I've focused on them so much it's almost crippling.  But, just for this week, I'm going to try not to think about them.  My sister and nephew flew in from CA for a visit, so this week is about family and positivity.

The first two perks, and truly my absolute favorites, are no bra and all day pjs.  Honestly, the best feeling upon waking up later than 6:00 a.m. is getting out of the pjs you slept in and into a fresh set.  Soooooo comfy.  No bra?  Even better.  Gravity has already attacked The Girls, so why bother with pretense.  

Next best thing?  Hanging out with kitty all day.  Ally Jane is roughly 13 years old, so I'm not sure how much longer we have together. This is time to soak up all the love and belly rubs that I can get.  

Something I'm in dire need of, but really don't like, is time to work out.  With all the stress and anxiety of late, I've really been slacking on diet and exercise.  I've gained weight and don't think I'll be ready for the 10 miler in October. I need to get off my ass and get back at it.  I now have the time, I just need the motivation.  

I'm a nerd, I love to learn new things.  Now's the chance to learn a new language.  I'm using DuoLingo to learn German and I absolutely love it.  It's not easy, but it's not too difficult.  Just enough of a distraction to keep my mind occupied. 

Also:    

And:

I have time to learn a new skill like drawing, and BW photography.  I got with the cool kids and now have an Instagram account where I try to post a BW photo each day.  I'm no Ansel Adams, but I like what I've posted so far.  I've picked up some drawing supplies and a book and I'm excited to get started on that, also.

Finally, I can save money on Back-to School stuff.  I don't need to buy anything. Nothing for me, nothing for the classroom, nothing at all.  I can completely ignore the ads and the sales.  Yay!!

So this week I intend to focus on the up.  The only down I want to think about is down the shore, where I'm hanging out with my family and trying really hard to forget how crappy I've been lately.  

What Can You Do With a General When He Stops Being a General?

And so this is the question I am asking myself.  This blogger finds herself in a position of everything is possible and nothing is possible, simultaneously. It's a scary, awkward, degrading, awful, depressing, anxious, unnerving, (have I forgotten anything?) feeling. To put it succinctly, it sucks.

I was a teacher for 20 years, more if you count the years I was a teaching assistant.  Seventeen years of that was with the same school district. Last week I turned in my resignation.  It's been some time coming.  It's not how I would have done it, but it's done.

Special Ed is becoming rough, yo.  It's no longer help the children where they are and prepare them for the life ahead with daily living and job skills.  Now it's catch them up to their grade-level peers and let's hope their families pick up the rest. It's no longer teach them where they're at. It's now, force them to fit in these spaces and make our scores look good.  I don't know.  Maybe that's not everywhere.  Maybe just where I was.  But it wasn't always like that, which is what upsets me the most.  The district I left was more concerned about what education looks like rather than what education is.  

I've applied to many job openings still in the field of special education.  I've been interviewed for all but two so far.  I've even had a second interview for two.  Sadly, no offer has been made.  My thoughts: 1-I'm expensive to hire. Twenty years of experience brings a high salary; 2-When they call the school for reference, I'm not spoken of well; 3-I really do suck as a teacher. 

Happily, I do have a phone interview soon for a really cool charter school.  It's arts-based.  Singing and dancing?  Count me in!  

So while friends are going on vacation, taking trips down the shore, Hershey Park, Mexico, etc., I've been scouring the Internet and interviewing for jobs.  I've been working out (having not lost a pound), keeping a fancy journal, knitting, reading, dabbling in BW photography, and starting this blog.  We don't know what we're going to need as far as money in the future so we stick close to home. 

Back-to-school sales have taken on a whole new feeling. 

So that's it. First blog post. Just some stuff about my life at this moment.