LIfe After Retail Hell: Inspirational Signs That Hard Work and Never Giving Up is Worth The Dream

Hey everyone! K-Fit here.

I know it’s been a while since my last post, and I apologize for that. It’s been crazy since I started the leave replacement teaching job! I just wanted to update you all on what’s been going on since then.

But first, I apologize once again for the horrid length of this post, but as always, it’s worth it! ;-)

Teaching is fantastic. It’s the best job in the world, even though most of us don’t get paid what we truly deserve. Though there are most definitely trying and difficult times in the classroom to deal with and manage, one student can make all the difference, and one “thank you” makes it all worth it. It continues to remind me that I was meant for this career.

I recently finished reading a book given to me as a graduation gift from my friend, another fresh graduate into the teaching field; Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul. If any of you are teachers or have read this book anyway, you know how inspiring and touching these stories truly are (there is even one story involving a Deaf student and her use of sign language!). I swear I had tears in my eyes through half the book, if not more.

To fellow teachers, students who have had an amazing teacher in their lives who helped or inspired, or even anyone who believes common misconceptions about a teacher’s life, please, pick up this book and read it cover to cover. I didn’t want to put it down. Each and every story reinforces my belief that I was molded to fit and belong in this profession perfectly. As cliché as it may sound, I hope that I may be able to inspire even one student in the same way.

Now, on to sharing the happenings in my life. Classes for the students officially finished last week (Tuesday, June 15 was their last day), and every day since then has been Regents testing (until this Thursday, the 23rd). For those of you who don’t have Regents in your state/country, they are state exams that students must pass in core subjects to receive full credit for the course. Now that classes are done and my “main” work is over, I finally have time to update you all!

The job was phenomenal. The first day I walked in, which was a Friday, and took over was basically and assessment day, to see how much of the curriculum they were actually taught and how much catching up I would need to do. When they knew that their original teacher was no longer returning, they literally cheered for joy. I asked them tons of questions about what they were taught, how much they knew, their testing procedures, and how much signing they actually did in class.

I also told them that I was here for them, and even though it was already almost the end of the school year, that it was a fresh start and we would put the past behind us and move forward from here. The kids were all really receptive to it, and were excited to begin learning about Deaf culture and American Sign Language, the natural language of the Deaf community once again.

It was a tough job, because they were so very far behind since the beginning of the year, but given the unique situation we were in, we all adjusted fairly quickly and easily, and everyone on the staff were very helpful and supportive. I even got to see a few of my old teachers as new colleagues! Especially the other ASL teacher (who taught at the other high school, where I graduated from), who had been my first ASL teacher at this school, my personal inspiration and reason for becoming so involved with ASL, the Deaf community, and teaching, and as more than her student teacher. It was wonderful.

Monday morning was a review session, to get them warmed up and refresh their memories of ASL (and honestly, to fix the mistakes the previous teacher had made in her teaching of the language, which proved to be continuous until the last day). Since there was so little time left, I continued with the unit of which they were already in the middle, taught them the correct material, and started the “review” for their finals (which was really a re-teaching of material from the beginning of the year). We had to work hard, and we had to work fast, but it was a great experience, and I had a blast doing it and working with them.

On the last two days of classes, with finals finished, I gave out blank paper and markers to the students and asked them to write their names on the top of the sheets. I then instructed them to pass their papers around, so each person can write them a message of something nice about them, or something they liked about each person, etc., so each student would have those messages and memories for however long they chose to keep them. I also signed as many papers as I could, and before they left, gave a short speech thanking them for their hard work and patience, for working with me and cooperating though it was the end of the year, apologizing for their bad experience with ASL and explaining that I now hoped they had a better vision and perception of the language and the culture, that ASL can truly be a ton of fun, and that Deaf people are some of the best people in the world with whom to make friends. They all responded really well, and actually clapped afterward and agreed that they now loved ASL! What a great feeling. I had also written my name on paper and passed it around to students, for anyone who wanted to sign it (one paper for each class I taught -- one class of Level 1 students, and one class of Level 2 students). I told them if they chose to write anything, they could also choose to write their name or be anonymous, whichever they preferred.

After collecting their responses the last day, the amount of messages were overwhelming. I received four full pages worth of “thank you!”s, “thank you for saving us/our class!”, “you’re a great teacher!”, “I wish we had you from the start!”, “I actually learned real sign language,” “you’re a great person,” and one girl wrote “I was actually able to sign to the Deaf man who moved in across the street from me. Thank you!” I couldn’t believe it.

Here are pics of the messages (in random order of different levels):

I had no idea if what I was doing made any difference to them at all, and yet, every single response proved that I impacted them tremendously more than I ever thought I did or could. It was an unbelievably touching experience, and though it was only a short time I taught them, I will never forget them or my time with them, my first real class of students, as long as I live.

Again, they reinforced my belief that I am made for this profession, despite any difficulties I may face now or in the future. It is the most rewarding experience, and I absolutely love this job!

As for the interview I went on shortly after I started, I never received a call back, which is a little disappointing, but it’s okay. It was a long shot anyway, and the school is about a 45 minute or more drive away from my home every day.

However, I do have another interview this week for a part-time position as an ASL teacher at another school closer to me. And even if that doesn’t work out, I was invited back to be a substitute teacher next year at the same school in which I just finished teaching. As long as it sticks, I may be able to see some of my students who will now be seniors, and maybe even sub their classes.

Though I’d rather be teaching my own classroom, it’s a trade-off to be able to stay in the district and schools that I love, and see my first real students again before they move on to college. To celebrate our graduations, our anniversary (yay!), and our new jobs, my boyfriend and I went on a weekend vacation to Myrtle Beach and were finally able to relax, unwind, and have a great time after all the hard work we had put into graduating and our jobs. We went jet skiing, went on a dolphin watch tour where we saw about twenty dolphins out that day (I LOVE dolphins, so for me it was the best day!), walked through Ripley’s aquarium, saw a laser light show to the beat of Led Zeppelin, and took a helicopter tour on our last day. We got some great pictures out of it as well, and overall had an amazing time. We didn’t want to go home!

So again, I apologize for the length of my posts (this seems to happen a lot, huh?). But I would also like to restate that I am living proof that dreams truly do come true.

I worked my ass off, and I was rewarded for it in the best way that I could imagine possible; from simple “thank you”s from my students. In only one month’s time, they felt I had “saved” them, and helped them learn to love not only the language and culture, but also love learning again.

My message is the same: Never give up. You never know for whom you are making a difference, and even though retail is and always will be a true Hell on Earth, accomplishing your goals and making your dreams come true is the Heaven that, in the end, makes it all worth it.

Thanks for reading, RHUers! Maybe my next post will be a witnessing customer account (and hopefully shorter!). Keep your head up.

Much love,

--K-Fit

Comments

[Callista]

Hey :) I know this is going to be totally off-topic, but I've been meaning to ask someone this for a while--if you want to learn ASL, what's the best way to do it? I'd really like to learn, but learning a whole other language seems so intimidating to me.

[TechChewToy]

Hey! Good darn job for kicking ass in your class! I'm hoping to teach in my future and though this fellow isn't an ASL teacher, he -is- a teacher and this speech makes me cry every time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuBmSbiVXo0

(It's safe for work and all)

[K-Fit]

Callista - Look around your area for ASL classes. Some colleges offer it for noncredit, and some even for credit. Also, if there are any Deaf schools in your area, there is a good chance they also offer classes, especially over the summer. If those aren't available, look into tutoring services and ask if anyone knows and teaches ASL for a one-on-one experience. If all that fails, you can always post a personal ad looking for an ASL teacher. Just make sure that if anyone responds, they are credible and will teaching you real ASL, not signed English. If you were near me, I'd say I'd teach you, as I teach privately as well. =P Good luck!

TechChewToy - That speech is amazing! I want to memorize it and tell anyone that when they ask, especially those who believe teachers make too much money and don't work hard enough. =)

[Caper]

This post made me so happy :)

I'm currently doing upgrading courses, trying to get in to nursing because I want my LPN diploma more than anything. Having crappy retail jobs where you don't feel appreciated just makes my goal seem so far away, sometimes.

But yeah, before I ramble I'll cut to the chase. This was totally inspiring and those messages your students wrote for you were awesome !

[Humor_Me]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU ROCK!!! : - D

As I've stated before, my daughter has a degree in elementary literature and just took her teaching test. She should know the results in another 2 weeks. I remember her struggles going through college thinking she would never make it and at one point actually considering dropping out just 2 weeks shy of graduating. Thank heavens she talked to her professors and made it through.

When she was doing her practicum and worked with her class, she asked her class to leave her notes too. I know she still has those notes and they are very special to her. They remind her of how hard she worked and how she made a difference in their life even as a teacher's assistant.

Whenever you're having a bad day, keep those notes close and know that there are people out there better off because of YOU! ; - )

[KitKat]

YAY for you! And good luck finding a job (keep subbing because it can lead to a job....a friend just had that happen this past year for him).

Also, teachers are massively underpaid for what they have to put up with (insanity in the classroom and parents who think teachers should parent their kids); I personally think that teachers should make close to what SLPs make due to all the craziness they have to put up with.

[RockerChic]

Congrats! I have a small stack of thank you cards from my kids over the few years that I've been teaching and I will always hold on to those!

I love your idea that you did with the kids on the last day as well! I think I'm gonna hang on to that. . .

[Viking]

I just finished my first year teaching and I'm glad you had such a good year! The hardest thing to remember at times is to focus on the good kids more than the bad kids. I'm a high school math teacher so I'm instantly disliked most of the time haha. Good luck on finding a job! I hope that all your classes are as good as this one. Remember "Those who know, do. Those who understand, teach."

[Master Anakin]

WOW... your gift for teaching seems incredible. It is absolutely amazing that you can be so good at something you have such a passion for. Wherever you end up, I'm sure you'll be a strong positive influence for a lot of kids!

[iwbiek]

i totally get you, K-Fit. i LOVE teaching. i've lived in slovakia for 7 years (my wife is slovak) and taught english in high schools for the last 3 years. it fits me like a glove and i have old students who still call me up to hang out. it's SOOOO much nicer than the year i spent in the Gap in college, or even teaching english in a private language school (which is actually another form of retail).

[Perky]

*sniff*sniff* I want a classroom. I went to college to become a teacher because I love working with kids, and I love learning. But the schools in my state are letting teachers go and not hiring. One school district let go 1400 teachers. I'm told now that if I want to teach I should seriously consider leaving the state. :(

[AnotherNoName]

Thank you for sharing! I hope I'll be as good a teacher as you, and as appreciated by the students, someday!

[Lucy]

Awesome teachers are awesome :)

My favorite teacher was one of my english teachers a long time ago and I still miss him :) he really inspired me to read and write - and that is actually the only word I can use to describe him - inspirational. One of those older gentlemen that you can imagine sitting in a large chair with a glass of red wine, reading some great classics and then talk about them for hours with great passion.
So great teachers will be remembered. For a looong time.

And, actually, another story that this story reminded me of.
I studied spanish for 2 years with the same teacher and lemme tell ya - that lady was no teacher! She seemed like a nice person, but: was usually late for class, didn't pressure us to do our homework (you could just say "idk" and she would tell you the right answer), was OK/didn't care if someone made a mistake and. Basically was too gentle with us.

She also taught two classes in two different cities so sometimes she would cancel our class to go teach the other one! Then she would try to make it up by sending us homework via email or teaching us a little longer whenever we actually had a class.

(This was not her fault, but) Once she was out 2 WEEKS (something like 6 classes) because she had broken her foot. She lived in another city so sometimes (err... often) she couldn't make it because it was a-lot-snow-Winter and the trains were late/didn't move at all. Not her fault, but...

You can imagine how shocked a) one substitute teacher b) our 3rd year teacher was when we told them. In two years we had learned about as much as we could've in 3 months with the right teacher.

[Callista]

K-fit, thanks for the tip! I've e-mailed the language department at school and asked about auditing classes.

[MastersJuggler]

Looking for a copy of the Chicken Soul book online now ;) thanks for the heads up K-Fit and congratulations on kicking ass at your job, I'm sure this is just a beginning of a long and illustrious career!

[K-Fit]

Caper - Thank you! Never give up! I know how hard it can be and when the end result seems so distant, but it's all worth it. I feel like I was on teetering on the brink of insanity before I left retail hell, but after everything that's come about for me since then, my life is much better and I am a much happier person!

Humor_Me - I plan to keep these notes forever! I also have cards from every class of my first semester of student teaching (at the other high school in the same district). The cards plus these notes are all hanging on the outside of my closet door, where I can see them every day! =)

I plan on continuing to sub next year. Hopefully I'll see my students from this year and maybe sub some of their classes. The other ASL teacher in the district, who set up this program herself, will be teaching all the ASL classes next year, and that will boost the numbers back up. Then maybe the year after I can be the second ASL teacher again. Not to get my hopes up, but it could happen!

As for the second interview I had, I still haven't heard anything back yet, but I won't be disappointed if I don't get it, as I still have the subbing position as a back-up.

Viking - I like that saying much better!

Master Anakin - Thank you for your kind words. I hope I have a positive influence!

iwbiek- I can't imagine doing anything else!

Perky - Unfortunately, that's the gloomy position that most states and districts are in. But before you move, try applying for subbing positions. It won't be your own classroom, but it's a way to get your foot in the door.

AnotherNoName - I'm sure that you will be! As long as you are passionate about your field and your work and you persevere, I don't see why you can't be exactly the teacher that you want!

Lucy - My students told me the same thing almost every day. "I think we learn more in one day with you than we have in months before!" Felt great.

Callista - Good luck! Let me know how it turns out. Also, don't be intimidated by trying to learn a new language. Of course it can be tough, but it also depends on your determination and how much work and effort you put into it. As long as you stay motivated, it can be a great experience, and a ton of fun! Especially with ASL. I know I always have a blast with it. =)

Masters Juggler - The book is amazing! And it makes it even better because all the stories are true and submitted by real people with real inspirational memories.

THANK YOU everyone for your congrats and kind words! It means a lot to me. I hope to share more stories in the future! =)

[custom essays]

Though this post is so lengthy, it's really worth my time reading it. Thanks for the inspiration and for recommending the Chicken Soup thingy book. :)

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