The Kitchen Guild
(TKG)had been the company of my dreams, as an Interior Designer with a passion
for making homes more functional and accessible, especially people wanting to
age in place and people with disabilities. The Kitchen Guild was a
company with a 60 + history with the last owner having the company for 17
years. The company had grown to four showrooms and dwindled down to a
single Mobile Showroom. Having always had their own in-house installers and
talented designers, one of which was a "Voice of Industry" for the
National Kitchen Bath Association (NKBA) who was going to be my mentor, was
truly a dream come true, not to mention a 15-minute commute.
In less than a year, it
was all gone and I had to decide what to do next. I didn't want to work
nights or weekends. I didn't want to work with contractors who were
unprofessional and unable to do the work properly. I thought I might try
a larger commercial company, but when I got a call from a client who knew I no
longer worked for TKG (I had been gone two months) asking me to change the tile
color that she had approved, well... I decided, I also didn't want to work with
crazy clients. And finally, I didn't want it to interfere too much with
my skiing. The 2017-2018 season, I only skied eight days. Pathetic.
A friend suggested
Substitute Teaching. It fit ALL of my criteria.
- No nights or weekends
- No bad contractors
- No crazy clients
- Flexible schedule that would accommodate my becoming a Certified Alpine Ski Instructor, which would equal a lot more days on the slopes.
I didn't really think I
would like teaching. For years, walking through a Middle School or High
School, even some Elementary Schools intimidated me because the students were
so much taller than me. At 4'11", being vertically challenged only
presented itself in the midst of all these young giants. But I thought, I'd
give it a try, what did I have to lose? Well... I LOVED it. my
first assignment was at a High School teaching Ceramics and Photography as a
long-term assignment lasting over two months. I was so sad to leave the
students when it was time for me to go, I cried. Some of the students
cried too. As much as they loved their real teacher, they didn't want me
to go. It was very touching. I truly felt that I had made a
positive difference in some of their lives.
During that same time, I
also became a part-time ski instructor. I had doubted I would enjoy that either,
having to teach all ages from four-year-olds on up to senior adults, who had
never been on skis every in their lives. We call them Never-Evers. It was
challenging, but again, I loved it. I was so happy when someone who was
struggling made it down the slope and was smiling at the end. I earned my
Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Level 1 certification. By the
end of the 2018-2019 season, I had logged 54 days on the snow. That’s a lot better
than the eight the year before.
I had a great summer
traveling and being with family, but now it was time to get serious about
starting that new job or career. Teaching was calling to me. I'd
explain something to a stranger and they would say "You must be a Teacher.
You made that so easy for me." Or, my sister-in-law, recently
retired, who had never had time to be a "reader" wanted to become
one, but felt she read too slowly. I gave her books that I had enjoyed. I also gave
her books that I had shared with my son, ones we had read together and
suggested that she read those with her grandchildren. She was thrilled
and now we're sharing thoughts on books and what we'll be reading
next.
So now I am taking EDU
200: Intro to the Teaching
Profession. I still want to substitute
this semester in addition to doing a 40-hour field placement with an Elementary
School (a change of pace from High School). I’ll be taking two other online
teaching classes, and finishing my Children’s Specialist certification workbook
for teaching children to ski. I’ve already passed the online quiz and hope to take
the “On the Snow” exam in December. Wish
me luck, as this new journey begins.
