Anyway, have you ever had one of those "A-Ha" moments? The moments where everything seems to click and fall into place? I had one of those recently and it's made me incredibly excited but incredibly impatient. I have found my purpose professionally. It's something I have really been struggling with as the deadline to start my Masters degree rapidly approaches.
Background: In Kentucky, you have to have a Masters degree to renew your teaching certificate. You get 5 years to start after completing K-TIP (Kentucky Teachers Internship Program). For me, my expiration date is 2012. So not horribly pressing, but quickly approaching. While working on a Masters, you can take specialized courses and earn an "endorsement" or specialization. That's what I've been toying with for quite awhile, although honestly, I had been toying with the idea of not getting a Masters period and do something else besides teaching. Until I had my a-ha moment.
I have spent this past school year tutoring students with dyslexia. A teacher at my old school brought this issue up last year as she was going through a certification process to diagnose and tutor dyslexia. I tried to start tutoring myself that summer, but the site she was using wasn't hiring. This school year, business started booming and they needed more tutors so after a super quick process, I began tutoring 2-3 sessions once a week. This semester, after the lay-off, they gave me an additional 4 sessions 2 days a week. I have loved every minute of it. Sometimes it's frustrating, trying to get some of my students to focus. I remind myself that they have been in school all day, sometimes struggling to survive that, then have to come to me for an hour only to go home and finish homework. So we do some goal setting and when time allows, we play games that may or may not have anything to do with anything. This has given me focus in what I want to do: obtain my Masters with an endorsement in Reading and Writing. This would give me qualifications not only as a regular classroom teacher, but as a Reading or Writing Specialist. I would also like to become certified to diagnose dyslexia as most Reading Specialists don't have this training.
How did I stumble across this plan? A job posting, of course! I had been thinking about the Reading/Writing Masters for awhile, but this posting at a school I ADORE was specifically for people with training in dyslexia, using a particular method (guess what method we use in tutoring...the SAME). I know this job is perfect for my experiences. Pray for me that THEY realize it's perfect for my experiences. But even if I don't get this position, I'm still hitting the job market (what sliver there is) hard this time around, emphasizing what I've been working on so I can start putting my plan into motion (it's way easier to have a job then the Masters rather than the other way around--when school tout wanting the most qualified teachers, you'd think a Masters would be helpful, but you'd be wrong).
This post is a lot of rambling and I apologize. I just thought I'd share my excitement, prayer request, and experiences. When have you experienced a-ha moments? Did you feel like you were hit over the head with bricks? Did it build gradually until you just realized it?
Congrats! Those A-ha moments are precious little gifts, aren't they? When I finally realized that it was okay that I wasn't using my Master's at the moment, I finally felt like a huge weight was lifted and I was free to pursue whatever God leads me to next. The process of getting to that point was gradual but the moment itself was like turning on the lights in a pitch-dark room. Great post, girl! :)
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