Weirdly enough, I’m already towards the end of my student teaching and ~therefore~ almost done with graduate school. The decision to start grad school was, I’ll admit, a quick one. That’s really unusual for me! I typically linger over decisions too long. Most people seemed really surprised when I told them I wanted to become a teacher. They assumed I would probably be on that audition grind my whole life, and that I only truly wanted to be an actress. Obviously, that wasn’t really the case.
In reflection, I really really really really liked acting. I loved acting in high school. However, in practice, the actual business of it? Not so much. I applaud those who do it, and I love the craft. However, teaching really gives me something that acting never did. Without sounding cheesy, I really feel like I’m making a huge difference. I adore my students, and thinking about leaving the ones I’m with now is, honestly, really hard. Harder for me than them, more than likely! You grow attached to the kiddos, and you want to make sure they have everything they need to succeed.
My girl Caley and I from NYC last weekend! Thought I would include her, since she knows what it’s like to go through the tail end of a grad program 🙂 Hat is Old Navy, Sneakers are New Balance, Jeans are old Madewell straightlegs (like these), Bag is Kate Spade (This one is similar), and Barn Coat is L.L. Bean.
The actual grad school portion of this has been a long haul. I remember when I officially committed to it, and I was terrified at the thought of spending an additional two years in school. I didn’t necessarily find the work challenging (which sounds terrible, but I don’t mean it that way….) but there was a lot of it. The fact that I’m so close though has me feeling so satisfied – I feel like I’ve accomplished something pretty awesome, and I’m really looking forward to the day where I have my own classroom and I’m able to make a difference over the course of a whole year.
The tail end of grad school, and student teaching, has made post planning for the blog more difficult than usual. I typically know what I want to get out there weeks in advance, and I’m always outfit planning. But, to be honest, I’m caught in the swarm of the certification process and the end of it all. However, I have pretty fun gift guide coming for you all 😉
Are any of you in grad school or teaching? What’s it like for you?
