my phantom of the opera

My friend and I decided long ago that we should see operas together. We talked about it in the way people talk about the things they really do want to do but are not willing to do now. After years of this conversation, we finally decided on a date on which to purchase said tickets and precisely which tickets we would buy. I found myself really looking forward to ticket-buying-day. When ticket-buying-day came, I called my friend to finalize our purchase. We agreed that I would mail him a check for my ticket, and he would take care of the actual purchase.

My friend e-mail me a copy of the ticket purchase documentation along with a quick note indicating he "upgraded" our seats as a birthday/new job congrats present. I am thrilled! Not only do I have an opera companion (no easy feat in Phoenix), but I have a thoughtful one!

Ms. Gee

When I finally decided to end the cycle of abuse at the monster bank, I decided to Lester Burham (American Beauty) it and get a job with the least amount of responsibility responsible. This decision led to a range of interesting experiences at other financial service companies, non-profit organizations, lawyers, corporate realtors, and healthcare providers and insurers. Having purposely selected positions requiring much less pain and suffering in the mental health department, I found I had a great deal of free time to contemplate what I wanted to do if I were to grow up. Ultimately I decided that free time, contributing to society, and being in control of my immediate environment would be necessary for me to find workplace happiness. After some thought, I decided that I could achieve this in one of two career paths (both requiring more training) – contract database work or teacher. After some thought, I came to the conclusion that teaching would be most suitable.

I immediately began researching certification requirements and programs. I finally settled on one and began taking classes last fall. I found that the subjects were extremely interesting to read and even more fun to see in action in the classroom. During some observations in public school, I found myself surrounded by a predominately Hispanic student body in a less than desirable neighborhood. I surprised myself by enjoying the atmosphere and the extremely important job of teaching these kids.

Due to talk of a teacher shortage, I thought I would apply for some positions and see what happened. My goal was to be teaching by next fall, but why not try now? As it turns out, I got called in to a few schools (charter only, due to my lack of certification). Two of them were clearly not what I was looking for. One seemed like a great fit – lots of curricular freedom, structured school environment with competent and experienced administration, and a paycheck that wasn’t completely ridiculous. To my supreme happiness, that school liked me too and offered me a position teaching 10th and 12th grade English.

As a result, my 14 month flirtation with limited responsibility will come to screeching halt as I assume the Herculean task of teaching teenagers in a west Phoenix neighborhood how to think and communicate effectively.