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Post by elaine on Feb 6, 2022 22:02:41 GMT
I graduated with my PhD in 1992. Gosh, I’m old!
I just finished week 1 of my career switcher licensure program. 3.5 hours every Tuesday and Thursday night and then 14 hours every other weekend (two 3.5 hour classes Saturday & Sunday).
After 14 hours of class this weekend - live via Zoom with cameras on - I am exhausted. I forgot how draining it could be. Or maybe 30 years ago it wasn’t so draining. 😂
Not to mention that I am long-term substitute teaching through the beginning of April (and maybe through April too), so working full-time.
The bonus/carrot is that I will receive my provisional teaching license at the beginning of June if I successfully complete my coursework.
I am a little sad that I am pursuing this so late in my life. Realistically, there will only be 12 years until I am 70, so probably not up for teaching K-12 beyond that.
The bonus is that I continue to get to substitute with kids I know and love. Right now I am filling in for a friend who is a 4th grade teacher who was just diagnosed with breast cancer and I am giving back to her and her students by filling in for her surgery and recovery. I may take the class over again if she needs radiation.
It is somewhat sobering to start things during the last third of one’s life. I still want to make a positive impact in as many kids’ lives as I can.
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Post by auntiepeas on Feb 6, 2022 22:08:22 GMT
12 years seems like a worthwhile amount of time to me.
And good on you for being willing to be a learner again.
Good luck with your studies and I hope teaching proves to be really rewarding!
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Post by Darcy Collins on Feb 6, 2022 22:09:03 GMT
Zoom is exhausting! Good luck on the next stage - your students will be lucky to have you!
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Post by mom on Feb 6, 2022 22:11:04 GMT
I admire you (for several reasons but todays reason is that you aren't afraid to go back to school). While 'only' probably wanting to teach 12 years is nothing to laugh about. Thats getting to be a positive influence on hundreds of kiddos. Thats pretty awesome.
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Post by KelleeM on Feb 6, 2022 22:24:23 GMT
You are awesome! I always have said that I went to college the easy way…right out of high school. But I only got a BA and was done.
Teachers are amazing and those kids are so fortunate to have you!
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 6, 2022 22:25:06 GMT
Awesome!!! The world needs good teachers.
I think Zoom is probably 1000x worse than live instruction
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cakediva
Drama Llama
Making the world a sweeter place one cake at a time!
Posts: 7,405 
Location: Fergus, Ontario
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Post by cakediva on Feb 6, 2022 22:25:43 GMT
Way to go!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Feb 6, 2022 22:26:05 GMT
That is so wonderful.
I've learned that "Number of years left or able" is a poor metric, as no one knows how long any of us will be able to do anything.
I bet you are an incredible teacher.
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Post by librarylady on Feb 6, 2022 22:28:34 GMT
Congratulations.
My mother got her nursing degree in her 50s and worked until she was 70.
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Post by quietgirl on Feb 6, 2022 22:29:12 GMT
That's really awesome!! Good luck to you. You can do this!!
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janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,170
Location: Alabama
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Post by janeinbama on Feb 6, 2022 22:29:54 GMT
You are just an awesome person Elaine! You give your heart and soul 1000% everyday. Your current and future students are lucky.
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Post by snowsilver on Feb 6, 2022 22:33:03 GMT
Good for you Elaine. This is a wonderful achievement esp. under the circumstance you have had to do it. Well, under ANY circumstance actually.
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peasquared
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,434
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Post by peasquared on Feb 6, 2022 22:55:51 GMT
That is exciting elaine! I'm so happy for you! And, even happier for your students. It'll be worth all the hard work and time invested! Congratulations! |
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anaterra
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,827
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Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Feb 6, 2022 23:00:20 GMT
CONGRATS and good luck!!!! ALL students you teach will be super lucky to learn from you!!
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Post by myboysnme on Feb 6, 2022 23:01:51 GMT
Congrats to you but I am surprised they are making you do so much with a PhD. You could teach at university with your PhD and with the teacher shortage seems like you could be provisionally licensed. But I'm happy you are doing something you want to do. I retired at 62 and I really hope not to work again.
I have a master's degree and I was considering a few classes at the local community college and they wanted me to take an intro math class because whatever math I took way back when wasn't what they want people to have now. No way was I going to take a math class just to meet a gen ed requirement I had already met when I got my bachelors. It's all just money making to me.
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Post by scrapmaven on Feb 6, 2022 23:35:50 GMT
Those students are going to be so lucky to have you as their teacher. What grade do you want to teach? If it's single subject which one? I think that you're never too old to achieve a dream. Good for you!
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Post by mollycoddle on Feb 6, 2022 23:38:31 GMT
That’s wonderful, Elaine.
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Post by stormsts on Feb 6, 2022 23:39:36 GMT
That is awesome! I can’t imagine going back to school. Good luck!
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Post by malibou on Feb 6, 2022 23:47:10 GMT
Way to go! Those kids are so lucky to get 12 years of Ms. Elaine.
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Post by gar on Feb 6, 2022 23:53:47 GMT
I applaud you for many reasons 😊 Well done you!
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Post by epeanymous on Feb 6, 2022 23:58:29 GMT
I am so excited for you! You are going to be an incredible teacher for your students, and they will be lucky to have amongst their teachers someone who has had a breadth of life experience before coming to the profession.
I have thought often about taking advantage of our teaching graduate program at the university (which I could attend for free, although I'd have to do my f/t job at the same time), as the irony is that I have been teaching for fifteen years but have had almost zero teaching training, and I really, really want more structured instruction in effective teaching.
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purplebee
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Post by purplebee on Feb 6, 2022 23:59:45 GMT
Congratulations! What an amazing thing to do. Your students are lucky to have you.
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moodyblue
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Feb 7, 2022 0:31:16 GMT
You’ll still be 70 in 12 years, whether you spend them teaching or not.
If this feels right to you and you can make a difference in a lot of kids' lives in that time, it will be time well-spent.
I think you bring a lot of knowledge and life experience to the classroom.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Feb 7, 2022 0:50:03 GMT
elaine not only will you be sharing book learning but also life's experiences! Lucky kids!
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Post by Restless Spirit on Feb 7, 2022 1:02:06 GMT
You have my deepest respect. My older sister retired from teaching when she was 75. She had been teaching for over 50 years. She was mentally exhausted even though it had been rewarding. You’ll know when it’s time to stop, just like you knew the time to start this new endeavor was now.
Best wishes and best of luck to you!
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Post by MichyM on Feb 7, 2022 1:08:34 GMT
Very excited for you for the future, and i can only imagine how tiring all of it is. Selfishly, I miss seeing you around here all the time 😁
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Post by elaine on Feb 7, 2022 1:15:57 GMT
Congrats to you but I am surprised they are making you do so much with a PhD. You could teach at university with your PhD and with the teacher shortage seems like you could be provisionally licensed. But I'm happy you are doing something you want to do. I retired at 62 and I really hope not to work again. I have a master's degree and I was considering a few classes at the local community college and they wanted me to take an intro math class because whatever math I took way back when wasn't what they want people to have now. No way was I going to take a math class just to meet a gen ed requirement I had already met when I got my bachelors. It's all just money making to me. Oh, I have 15 years of college/university teaching on my resume. In VA, that counts for nothing in terms of earning a k-12 teaching license. It is a little crazy. I actually want a K-6 license, but they won’t give me one unless I go back and take another year of undergrad courses because, like you, my college was 40 years ago and I can’t prove things like the labs for my science courses, etc. I just don’t want to spend another year of my life taking classes that don’t interest me. I don’t want to take Econ and Chemistry in order to teach 4th grade, which I already can and do without those courses.
If you are retired and don’t want to work again, I hope that you don’t have to. I had to give up working - I never wanted to - to take care of my boys and am so happy that I finally am able to work again.
Those students are going to be so lucky to have you as their teacher. What grade do you want to teach? If it's single subject which one? I think that you're never too old to achieve a dream. Good for you! Right now I am mostly teaching 4th and 6th grades. I am getting my license with an endorsement in 6-12 English, so will most likely teach middle or high school English, but I still may be able to teach gen ed 6th grade. I will probably take another Praxis to get an additional endorsement in Social Studies which would allow me to teach high school psychology. You’ll still be 70 in 12 years, whether you spend them teaching or not. If this feels right to you and you can make a difference in a lot of kids' lives in that time, it will be time well-spent. I think you bring a lot of knowledge and life experience to the classroom. Very true. It has been very sobering as I’ve gone through this process (I had to study for and pass the various teacher licensure exams before I could apply for the program), to realize that when I was fresh out of grad school and I went on my job interviews and I was always floored by the “where do you see yourself in 10 years” question. I mean, I had a prepared answer, because that was an inevitable question, but just because 10 years seemed SO FAR in the future and I didn’t really “see” myself 10 years in the future, I was just guessing as to what that oh-so-distant future might look like. 😝 And here I am 30+ years later and my life looks nothing like I answered in those interviews years ago. 😂 |
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Post by elaine on Feb 7, 2022 1:17:38 GMT
Very excited for you for the future, and i can only imagine how tiring all of it is. Selfishly, I miss seeing you around here all the time 😁 Teaching and studying *has* been cutting into my valuable Pea-ing time! 😂 It is pretty awesome when I get a variety of hugs from students on their way into the classroom in the morning and on the way out to the bus at the end of the day. |
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Post by MichyM on Feb 7, 2022 1:36:52 GMT
Very excited for you for the future, and i can only imagine how tiring all of it is. Selfishly, I miss seeing you around here all the time 😁 Teaching and studying *has* been cutting into my valuable Pea-ing time! 😂 It is pretty awesome when I get a variety of hugs from students on their way into the classroom in the morning and on the way out to the bus at the end of the day. You’re killing’ me. Kids’ hugs. Life is good 😊 |
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scrappinwithoutpeas
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Feb 7, 2022 1:40:52 GMT
Congratulations on your new endeavor! Very admirable and I'm glad for you! Current and future students are very lucky to have you.
Good luck!
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