The Adventure Begins

Obviously, this is my first post.  I came up with this idea while chatting with Mark R., a good friend of mine from Rutgers, to start a blog on my teaching adventures next year.  I just graduated from college and I am embarking on a new adventure.  I've always been behind the desk, I suppose, having studied all my life, but now I am coming at it from the opposite side of the room - front and center stage!

I'll give some background for those just tuning in... I was accepted into Seton Hall University's 2-year Educational Partners in Catholic Schools (E.P.I.C.S.) Program, which ends up in a M.A. in Education.  Of course, as a Classics major, I was instantly attracted to it because of its acronym; it is a program that is geared towards teachers who want to teach in Catholic schools.  I'm not against public schools, but for now I am going for Catholic education.  Plus, the moral formation the program provides is pretty solid and the school itself is reputable.

At this stage, I am gearing up for the Praxis II exam for English Education (only offered 7 times a year - so if you want to be certified,   LOOK INTO THE DATES THE YEAR BEFORE YOU WANT TO BE CERTIFIED).  I am also studying for the Latin certification exam, which is not a Praxis but whatever.  It does the same job.  I am going to be dual-certified in English and Latin for the time being.  I'm also writing a ton of cover letters and sending out my resume to different places.

The thing I've noticed about cover letters and resumes is that everyone has a different opinion.  What looks great to one person, looks terrible to the next.  And then, teaching cover letters are different from every other kind of cover letter accepted anywhere else.  Therefore I am always spiraling downward in periods of self-doubt and confusion whenever these things are necessary... yet, I find it humorous what people like and dislike.   It's one of those things in life where you look back and laugh, but not while you're doing it. And then there's how special "teaching"is, and how different it is from applying to any other job.  But it is a special profession - that's why I chose it.

By the way, NEVER START YOUR SENTENCES WITH CONJUNCTIONS THE WAY I JUST DID - 'TIS A GRAMMAR NO-NO.

I know how the blogging genre goes: one creates it in a fit of inspiration by some Muse, and as time goes on, it is hardly ever updated, except when the fancy strikes one again when it is no longer relevant.  Well, this is a two-year program and it is my first years of teaching, so I see this possibly going the same route at some point; however, I will try for the sake of my friends and family who want to follow my adventures as a teacher.  Since I will be busy up to my ears, it may be all they see of me!!!!

I think I have babbled on long enough.  Perhaps I should try to end each of these things with a pithy quotation, or begin them, or something.  That seems like an English-teacher-y thing to do. Well, here goes.  A wise friend (Anthony) told me once that teaching and learning is all about self-discovery at the end of the day.  If I am successful, I should learn the one thing that Socrates advises mankind:

"Know thyself."
(Or, "gnothi seauton",  for my classically-minded friends).