Career Questions 9:49 a.m. 2005-12-10


Okay, so obviously the Advent thing is not going to happen this year - but there's always NEXT year!!!!

I found the above cartoon on Cartoon Bank.com, and I urge you to go there and seek more!!!

I am in the midst of coloring my hair, something I should have done two weeks ago! Better late than never!!! I have my laptop from school up on the third floor - wifi is so great! Last night, I watched Real Women Have Curves in bed on my laptop DVD player! We are really trying to avoid having a TV in our bedroom, so I guess this is a good compromise!!!!

I have discovered a new astrology fix: The Daily OM has a pretty neat, existential type of daily horoscope that you can get by e-mail. Here is an example of mine today:

Demonstrate Your Abilities

Your ambitions may be running high today, and you could find yourself being much more productive and focused than you recently have been. This is a powerful time that could bring about opportunities for growth in the form of leadership roles. You could be granted a promotion at work or be given the opportunity to start an exciting new project today. You may also decide that you want to become more independent and strike out on your own. Look for opportunities to demonstrate your talents and abilities. Perhaps you can give some thought to your career goals and focus your energy on creating more opportunities for yourself.

By expressing our drive and passion for our work, we can create more opportunities for growth and progress. Hard work, talent, and ability are often the keys to building a lucrative, fulfilling career. When we demonstrate our ability to handle increased responsibility and to create higher quality work, we affirm to the universe that we are ready for more opportunities to come our way. By simply letting others see that we want more and are capable of more, we attract the attention of those who can offer us advancement in the form of promotions or new partnership deals. By demonstrating your ambition and leadership capabilities today, you can create many opportunities for achieving greater success in your career.

That's pretty neat - because I am having career issues. I really love teaching, and I love my students - and like most of them!!! - BUT I definitely do not love all of the extra duties that accompany teaching an academic course - especially with all of the No Child Left Behind added pressure.

I would say that I am in (or should be in meetings at least one planning period per week, and after school, at least once per week. I have to serve on a committee, and that involves more meetings on the central office level. At the same time, I am supposed to plan lessons, support students - my favorite expectation right now of ESOL teachers is that they should now parallel the appropriate grade level Language Arts and Reading curriculum, and there is a subtle expectation that we support the students in Social Studies and Science, as well.

Of course, if you have read my blog (incessant barking...) at all, you know that I am also developing a side business as an artist. I have my website, Maison Celeste. I have orders coming in from E-Bay and other sources, including my CafePress.com stores - which are self-generating. Two months ago, I subscribed to Yahoo stores, but have yet to put together a store-front. I have tried delegating some of these tasks, but it has not been successful.

Now, I have to admit that I am not very good at delegating. At school, I have a para-professional to help me in two of my classes, as well as to help with documentation and paperwork. I know that I am not making full use of this resource. I should have him call parents, for example, but my pride in being able to speak Spanish inhibits this...

I seem most happy when I am running a creative project for my students - and that is something I will probably pursue. Perhaps an afterschool program to give Latina girls (or Latino boys, but there are not enough for the girls) a way to express their creativity and imagination through crafts and art.

So many of my students have no imagination - or have had this stunted. When I ask them if they can visualize what they are reading, they have no idea. Their vision is so limited. I try to explain to them that my ability to visualize comes from extensive reading, as well as watching TV shows and movies. But it's so much more than that - it's outside experiences, connection with other people and cultures, seeking knowledge about topics that interest me - I don't know if some of my students have read more about something just because they are interested in it!

So, I need to sign off now. Check out my E-Bay auctions!!!! Start your Christmas shopping now!!!

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