I promised myself--and a few of you who were kind enough to inquire--that I would be back to blogging once The Girl started kindergarten this fall, but here we are nearly two months past that deadline, and this page has lain fallow.
I've been in a bit of a funk--surprisingly (for me) boo hooing about mah baybee growing up and realizing that, despite all my bellyaching about how hard it is to go back to work, it is really hard to go back to work. There are the usual issues: I don't have any remotely current work clothes, my professional references are a bit out of date, and my child care situation continues to remain challenging.
I started to look for work that I could shoehorn into my requirements; that is, it didn't necessitate the purchase of a new formal work wardrobe (just say no to suits), it didn't require me to leave the house before my kids get on the school bus at 8 am, and I had done it recently enough that I had references who could back up the quality of my work. Let me tell you, these were some grim jobs. I met with a headhunter who said she would put my resume with "her other mommies," which, coming from a know-nothing twentysomething was even more insulting than Mitt and his binders full of women.
And then I had a moment of clarity. Hadn't I decided to leave this all behind eight years ago when I went back to school for my teaching credentials? Yes, indeed, I had. Teaching poses some logistical challenges that remain unresolved, but I'm going to cross that bridge when I come to it, which is utterly and completely not my style.
Naturally, my New York state certification has expired, but over the last few weeks I've pulled my paperwork together to apply for Connecticut certification. It's not entirely clear how many hoops I'll have to jump through to be certified here, but the State Department of Education has kindly agreed to review my application in four to six weeks so I guess I'll know then. In the mean time, I am preparing the take the math portion of the Praxis exam. The practice test produced paroxyms of laughter when I realized they seriously wanted me to use the pythagorean theorum (top of mind for English teachers who completed high school more than 25 years ago).
So, this is where I've been these past few months. I am hoping to be back here more often. Pray tell, what's new with you?
Yay! Welcome back!
I'm trying to juggle a FT job with a commute and two kids. And water my marriage, of course. Ain't it fun? My blog is basically dead. Biggest fear? That I'll turn around, be 45, kids grown, and won't be able to remember much of the past (not quite) 15 years. Sigh.
Posted by: Abby | 10/24/2012 at 01:20 PM
WOW you are a busy lady. Good for you taking steps to get back to your career. Who am I going to watch bad sci fi with and fold laundry?? Much love.
Posted by: Jo-Ann | 10/24/2012 at 02:17 PM
Always lovely to see a new post from you! I find myself remembering many 'You Be the Parent' conundrums now that my kids are a little older (4 and almost 6). I am also totally *done* with freelancing from home and ready for FT out-of-house work when the kids start school in the new year (southern hemisphere schedule). Am doing so by making a total career cartwheel and going back to school for 6 months to train as a travel agent. Still haven't told many friends as it seems epic crazy given my academic/science background, but I'm ready for a change. And this is definitely that. Good luck with your certification - and Pythagoras. One step at a time!
Posted by: Anna | 10/24/2012 at 05:45 PM
a^2 + b^2 = c^2! Am I right?
Good luck with the teaching. That is one career that I just...couldn't. I don't have that kind of patience, but wow, do I have a lot of respect for those that do.
We have some things that may be majorly upending our lives in the next bit that they remain unmentionable for the most part. It's left me hanging. I would like a complete career overhaul, but until we know how the part, the first, shakes out, I can't deal with part, the second.
Posted by: Christine | 10/27/2012 at 12:33 AM
Good luck with the re-certifying as a teacher. I don't mean to be spooky-scary, but I've been a lurker off and on for quite a while, and I have some feedback about a Twitter post you made today. (No twitter account, sorry.)
Zero is NOT a positive integer. It is an integer, but it is not positive. If you want to specify the set of integers greater than or equal to zero, you specify the non-negative integers. If you want to specify the counting numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, ...), THOSE are the positive integers.
Sincerely,
a former math major
Posted by: jumperlass | 11/13/2012 at 06:09 PM