Post 10

            After completing the checklists on pages 288 to 291, I found myself intrigued by how many of the other personality types I fit into. Of course, my primary personality type was social haha. I’ve always thought that Holland’s theory fit best when it comes to career choices. After all, wouldn’t a person want to do something that matches up with who they are? I could not imagine having a career that did not involve helping others.

            Although I am quite proud to be an elementary school teacher, I find it taxing! Countless pressures and demands throughout each day have left me dissatisfied (Corey and Corey, 2010). I can remember when I first graduated college; I honestly thought that I was going to change the world! Prior to graduating and during student teaching I kept saying, “I can’t wait to get my own classroom”. This was true at the time. Today, I do have my own classroom, and I feel that I am changing the world (well at least the students in my classroom). I feel that teaching is very rewarding, and I love to see my students improve on a daily basis. At the same time, I feel that I am constantly working. If it isn’t lesson plans, it is grading. If it isn’t grading, it is preparing. If it isn’t preparing, it is calling parents. If it isn’t calling parents, it is making copies. If it isn’t making copies, it is making flipcharts. I could go on and on, but I will leave it at that. I love working with kids, but does the rest of it really have to be so much?

            Over the years I feel that I have improved my demeanor when it comes to work. Previously, I really did not leave any time during the school year to relax. The place of recreation in my life was scarce. I was obsessed with what I “should” have been doing (Corey and Corey, 2010). Two things have occurred since then. One being that I have more experience which means that I have materials, lesson plans, flipcharts, etc…already prepared from previous years. Two being the fact that I have become more confident in myself. I thought that I had to work constantly to be a “good” teacher. In my mind at the time, the more work I did, the better the teacher I became. It wasn’t until two years ago that I realized that teaching has nothing to do with how much I worked. Teaching is all about the teacher/student relationship. The more I focused on my students, the easier the job became. I became more relaxed and less worried about how much work I did in a day.

            Today, I would be lying if I said that I do not struggle with putting the work aside to enjoy some recreational time. I have been planning more recreational activities with my family and girlfriend to ensure that I have this time. In addition to this, coaching and running has been a great outlet for me. Since I started coaching 2 years ago, I have become less stressed about getting every single thing done at school.

Corey, G. & Corey, M. S. (2010). Your Body and Wellness. In Brooks/Cole (9^th edition), I Never Knew I Had a Choice (106-131). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.