The next day I was at a new coffee shop that I found. It actually ended up being exactly what I was looking for (minus internet). It is a local place, owned by a woman who bakes delicious treats and makes coffee. There are some comfortable chairs inside and a very nice patio out back. This will be my spot when I'm looking for somewhere to go.
Anyway, while I was there last week, the owner asked me where I was from and was giving me some places to explore. Then an older man piped up with some suggestions. We got to talking and one of his friends joined in. I mentioned that I was new to the area and would be substituting this year. Apparently, the man's friend used to be a principal and he was giving me tips for finding a job. I mentioned that I was looking for volunteer opportunities and they mentioned that they were CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates). I had never heard of a CASA before (which is ridiculous because they play a critical role in the lives of children in foster care.) As a teacher, I should have known about them. They started telling me about the work of a CASA. These are the people who act as the child's voice in court when there are hearings regarding abuse and neglect. They started giving me a lot of information about it and I got really excited! This must have been what Nick was referring to. Maybe this is the opportunity I'd been hoping to find. I found out that they were already in the middle of a training class, but got the contact information anyway. I called the trainer and she decided that she'd make an exception and squeeze me in. I'd have to do some make-up work, but with my experience as a teacher, she thought I'd do fine. I am in the second week of my CASA training and it is amazing. I know that once I get a case it will be hard to deal with all of the things my child/children went through, but it will give me a chance to help them be heard in court. I've always wanted to help students this way, but there was never an appropriate opportunity to do so. Maybe this will be my chance to make a difference in this world.
While on a drive yesterday, I started thinking...The average teacher makes it 4 years in the profession before quitting for various reasons. I taught for 4 years and now I don't have a job. Is teaching something I still really want to do? I am really missing school right now, but I found a journal from the beginning of last year in which I wrote about how exhausted and stressed I was and how I didn't want to teach anymore. It was too much and I was miserable. Things got better and then bad again toward the end of the year. If the average teacher only makes it 4 years, what do they do after? My initial instinct is "Yes, I still want to teach." But is that what I really want? What else could I do? I feel like teaching comes pretty naturally to me and I don't really think I'm good enough at anything else. I want a career, not some casual job to kill time and I want to make decent money, not work for minimum wage. But what do I do? Do I go back to school? Can I afford that? What would I study? What would I be good at? What can I do in or near a small town in the Pacific Northwest? Will there be teaching jobs for Nick? Do I want to give up having summers off with him? With our future kids? Maybe I should get a special education endorsement so I can work with smaller groups of kids and maybe part-time? Would I even like that? I know what I want, but it's not possible for me to have it now, so what do I do instead. I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment. Any thoughts or advice is welcome!
CASAs are AMAZING! You'll be fantastic! I have wanted to be one for YEARS but don't have the time I would want to devote to the child at this point. I do all the fun runs that support them. I'm so excited you're doing this!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn! I'm really excited about it! I can't wait to finish the classes so that I can get my first case.
ReplyDeleteIf you're really leaning toward helping children, there are a few options out there. DHS workers, whom I dislike as well, are just Social Workers or LPCs. You can get your M.A. in School Psychology, Social Work, or as an LPC, which I'm doing right now. As an LPC you can council children, adults, etc. My internship will be at the Center for Family Development and the Department of Youth Services, allowing for advocacy at all levels of life. There are so many options out there and you're in a great city to relax and spend time testing which ones you want to do.
ReplyDeleteThe counseling aspect seems more along what you are leaning toward because of the CASA work you're interested in. The benefit of any Psychology training is to be able to deal with the mental demand of being a child advocate or bearing others' burdens in general.
In terms of teaching, what about teaching a different grade level like high school? middle school? Maybe you need to work with older children?
The CASA programs are so great! I want to do it as soon as I can commit to the 18-month requirement the CASA program here has. Congrats on the new volunteer opportunity! It's SUCH a needed service in the foster system.
ReplyDeleteAshley, this sounds so amazing! I'm excited for you! Keep up the positive attitude!
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThat's exciting news about CASA! I'm glad you found something that will make you feel fulfilled. I TOTALLY understand your dilemma. I'm feeling almost the exact same way you are. I love teaching, but I got so burned out on dealing with parents, administrators, the enormous amounts of paperwork, working a million hours a week, and feeling like I wasn't appreciated for all of the hard work I was doing! It was exhausting! There is a reason that teachers only last an average of 4 years! Now that I'm not teaching full time, I've had some time to really think about whether I want to continue teaching. Do I really want a full time job next year? What else would I do? What else am I good at? It's really been a time for soul searching for me, and it sounds like you're in the same position. Right now I've decided that what is meant to happen, will. I'm just trying to explore some options and see where life takes me! Enjoy the journey, right? But it's hard for us Type A teachers to do that! I think you're on the right track. You're asking questions and you're exploring some new things. This year will be a big transition for you (and me, too!), and it will be fun to see how it plays out. Seriously though - enjoy the journey and good luck. :)
Thank you for all of your support and thoughtful comments! I definitely have things to think about, but have plenty of time. I will definitely keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteJason-I like the idea of exploring the idea of becoming a child psychologist. It would be pretty easy for me to do part-time when I have a family and I could live pretty much anywhere. I will definitely look in to that more.
Tabitha-I'm very impressed with the CASA program so far and I hope you get a chance to do it.
Katy-I'm sending you a facebook message! We are on completely the same page and I think that we could be a good support system for each other.