Teaching is my Regret

My regrets are my long journey of trying to become a full-time teacher. Which, I am still not a full-time teacher, by the way. I started substitute teaching in Lewis county, West Virginia. I was not from the area I had to move back after college in with my grandparents. I was told by a relative substitute teachers are needed. All they required was a Bachelors's degree. Cool. I was all about this job. I went to certify with RESA. After a few years of substitute teaching, I decided I liked teaching and taking the time to make sure that students understand.

I started investigating what it would take for me to become a teacher. Easy enough, I would go back to school and get a teaching degree. I didn't have funds in undergraduate to receive another bachelor's but, I had funds available for Masters level. I needed a school that I could study with that would do my classes online since I did not have reliable transportation, I had a young daughter and was pregnant with my son. I needed to go to an online school. I started looking around; Ashford University had a certified program. This, was my first mistake because they were only regionally certified and not nationally certified.

In one of my classes, I was supposed to interview either two principals or two teachers in two different types of schools. So, I chose to talk to the principal of the private school St. Pats and the local elementary school because the only private school only went up to the 8th grade. I also choose the schools because my classes were in Early Childhood Education. That was the perfect degree for me because not only was I a substitute teacher but I was also a childcare provider out of my home, also known as a babysitter. The degree worked for both jobs that I had.

While I was interviewing with St. Patrick's I was telling them how interested I was in the school and considering bringing my daughter there. I was very interested in finding everything I could about the school. In my questions, I had mentioned that I liked the idea and the smaller class sizes than they had over the public school. I even expressed that some of the students at the high school had expressed that you couldn't get an education in Lewis County at the public school. What I didn't was that the principal was married to the principal at the public high school. I had just sat there and told her that her husband does a bad job. That did not go well I am a bit ostracized for that.

The interview with the principal of the local public elementary school was just as much of a regret. It was a phone interview. One of the questions I asked was what do you think can be improved upon with the school. Since she was on the phone with me and did not know who she was talking to, or maybe she did, her reply was about how RESA subs were worthless and not a value at all. Talk about a big slap in my face, that was the verbal smackdown I had just received. Despite the feelings of the people in the community I kept going because it is what I truly want to do.

I was so excited I worked so hard and finally graduated. Although I did finally graduate I had hit so many issues along the way. Including the fact that my last class overlapped into a new semester and for some reason, financial aid did not do the paperwork to get me financial aid for the last class. I ended up having to make a complaint just to try to get my degree.

I began to look for jobs and apply with confidence for jobs to become a teacher. No one called back no one even looked if you ask me. So, I started asking questions. Although I had a teaching degree I did not have a teaching certificate. To get that I would have to go back to school and spend $5 grand more. Of course, at this time I do not have the money for that. So, I gave up a little.

Then, West Virginia did this wondrous thing. They put into law that you could work as a teacher and get an alternative teaching certification. This was the light I needed again. I started trying to find out what I need to do to achieve the certification and get into the program. I went to the local board office and found the director for the program that allows people into the program. Here is where my heart sank again. She said my work experience was not related to any job opening they had in the county. If, I had worked for 25 years as an accountant. Then, a math position became available then I would qualify. My experience with children and background dealing with children was irrelevant.

I have had to jump through tons of hoops to become a teacher as I am again enrolled to try to get in as a teacher. Let's hope I can find the financial aid to get the certification.