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One thing I've learned in life--although let's be honest, I've learned a lot because I've made a ton of mistakes--is changing careers can be scary, but oh-so rewarding. When my life changed in a way I never thought imaginable, I made only minor adjustments to try and find peace and clarity in my new role as a mother. Come to find out, adoption is an adaptation and if you aren't prepared to make some serious life changes, then you are in for one roller coaster of emotional ride. And so there I was, sliding down a mountain called Change is Bad and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty.
This past December, my husband and I adopted our two nieces and nephew out of the foster care system. During this time, I was going on five years teaching at the elementary and middle school level. The former three years I was a Library Media Specialist, and the latter two I was a Middle School English Teacher. Both jobs presented their challenges, but overall, I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that I was changing the lives of the majority of the kids that I taught.
Now, going into my sixth year of teaching, I convinced myself, "I got this!" I can be a full time mother and a full time teacher and still find balance in my life. Fast forward to February: I was starting to feel that teaching might not be the right career for me anymore. This was really difficult for me to accept, especially since I just won Step Up Teacher of the Year. But, as my mother taught me, when you commit to something, you see it through. As a result, I did what any responsible adult would do: I did my job, and I did it well. But something was still wrong: by dedicating all of my energy into my work, I felt stressed and, quite honestly, depressed that I wasn't managing my time well for my children. As any caretaker can attest, trying to live up to quality parenthood standards while simultaneously putting your children on the pejorative back burner is like being one of those so-called teachers that just sits at their desk all day, giving students assignments to work on without caring if they are learning. That sick feeling of guilt was weighing on me and as a result, I got really ill in May which made me feel even more awful. Let's just say: while I was killing it in the professional realm, I wasn't going to win Mother of the Year by any means. All of these feelings--which are not innately rotten in and of themselves--were making it harder and harder for me to deny the reality: I had to quit my job and start a new career so I could dedicate more time to my family.
So here I am: writing what I know. And in fact, I am a Masters level information specialist with over ten years experience researching and writing papers, emails, documents, essays, and more. I earned a Literature degree from Eckerd College and I hold two Florida Educator's Certifications: one in Media and the other in English. Although I have blogged in the past, I am working on better material, branding myself as a content writer and editor. Ideally, I'd like to be a fiction copyeditor and author, but I am really flexible right now, both mentally and physically. I will work my way to the top; I'm adapting. Adopting three children is the best decision I have ever made and, because of it, I know what I want to be when I grow up. Change is Good is the mountain I climb, and I can't wait to see her beauty at the top.