I was approached by one of the teachers who ran the Transition to Teaching/MAT program at the University of Indianapolis where I worked to get my teachers license and my MAT. He wanted to write a book about the first ten years of their program and was choosing one student from each year to write a chapter. He wanted me to write the chapter from our year. I was floored....and accepted as quickly as I could. I would like to share that chapter with you. Why? I want to start to build the foundation for my upcoming GoFundMe video that I am going to create to assist me in writing my book while I'm still teaching.
Here is the link to read it on a website in case you don't want to read it via the following post - The First Ten Years. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thanks,
Shawn
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You Just Know
This was a common response that I would receive when I would ask a married friend how they knew they had found the right person to marry. It would drive me CRAZY. How do you “just know”? Do you wake up one morning and feel different? Is it a flash of light in the sky with hymns playing in the background? Or did they just beat you into submission? I never understood that answer…until I met my wife. Then I got it. But the funny thing was – I thought it only applied to marriages. Boy was I wrong.
As a kid growing up in Central Illinois I loved many things. Sports, for instance, were a big part of my childhood. To this day I am a completely ridiculous over-the-top fan of my teams. So as I got into high school I thought that my career choices would veer in that direction. As a sophomore I decided to look into becoming the Athletic Trainer for the football and basketball teams. The coaches were very open to teaching a student how to tape ankles and knees because it gave them extra time to prepare for practice and games. And as a late bloomer (and I mean LATE) it gave me the chance to be involved in our school’s sports teams. During my junior year I started to look at colleges that had solid athletic training programs and I had narrowed it down to two, the University of Iowa and Northern Illinois University. I took my ACT, applied to both, got accepted to both and then began my decision making process. Well, that was easy; Big Ten School versus smaller state school was no contest. I decided I was going to the University of Iowa.
I began changing my allegiances in the sports world to Iowa from Illinois, I was that sure. And then came the day where I was going to send in my housing deposit and my parents told me that they wanted to talk to me. They had decided that they were not going to let me go to Iowa. As I mentioned before, I was a late bloomer. At this point in my senior year I was probably just a shade shorter than my Mom, who stands all of 5’1” tall. Yeah, that late. I was heartbroken, but at the same time I knew my parents were looking out for me. So I felt as if this was a sign that I wasn't supposed to be in athletic training. I enrolled in the local community college and had to decide what I was going to study. It came down to two choices – business and teaching. I LOVED cool commercials, especially the ones that NIKE had come out with starring Bo Jackson. But I also loved reading about World War II and American History. The final decision came down to this – my Dad was a blue collar worker at Caterpillar Inc. He helped build the chassis’ for the tractors. After watching him work his tail off and go on and off strike with his union I decided I was going to go the white collar route. I majored in Marketing.
After my first year at the community college I transferred to Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. In May of 1990 I was the first person on either side of my family to graduate from college. It was a very proud moment for me. During my senior year my best friend from growing up had called me and asked what my plans were post-graduation. I told him my only plan was NOT to live at home. He had gone to Purdue University and began to look at Indianapolis as a possible destination. His family had grown up just north of town, so we had contacts already in place. I thought and prayed about it and decided I would join him.
After trying to break into some jobs that involved marketing, I fell into the Information Technology field. It excited me because I have always enjoyed being familiar with the cutting edge of the newest technology, if I wasn't able to own it. I progressed fairly quickly through the ranks and into other companies while honing my skills. In 1996, I joined a company called EDS and was making over $50,000 a year. I thought I had it made. In 2000, it got even better when I got married to the love of my life. We decided to build a house and it looked like the pattern for the rest of my life was set. So then why was I unhappy?
Let’s go back to 1996. While I was on a trip to Florida on vacation I got a call from my parents. They told me that my Dad had a brain aneurysm and was going to have surgery on it the next week. Needless to say, I was floored. I went back home to Illinois for the surgery. In a weird twist of fate I was the first (along with my Mom) to see him after surgery. My dad was 6’3” and about 300 lbs. His friends at work called him Bear. He was our family’s rock. And to see him in his hospital room, helpless and vulnerable….it rocked me to my core. I stepped out of the room and wept uncontrollably. I was devastated. It got worse one week later when I got the call at work that my Dad had passed away from blood clots to both his lungs and his heart. I went into a downward spiral. All I cared about was pleasing me.
You are probably wondering – wow, thanks for depressing me and what does this have to do with teaching? It will make sense shortly, I promise.
In the next few years, I got married to my soul mate, who was a second grade teacher. I was jealous of her time off during her breaks and her summer vacation and made sure to let her know about it. I still wasn't right in my head and one day my wife told me she spent the night in our closet crying. She told me that I wasn't me, the real Shawn. I was just a shell of myself. This is when I took stock of my life and knew some things needed to change. And lucky for me, some things changed without me having to do anything myself. The technology company I worked for decided to cut my entire division and I lost my job. I was ecstatic. I was so tired of it and needed a change. My friends called me the happiest unemployed person they ever met. In a span of four weeks I was able to get another job at a local credit union….doing technology. At first, I was just glad to have a job because we had just moved into our house four months earlier. Yes, I was burnt out on it. However, I was at a place where they got the right people and then saw where they fit best as opposed to trying to put someone in a position and hoped they stuck. My place happened to be doing marketing for a small subsidiary business within the credit union. I assisted the Saleswoman on making her presentations, doing mailings and newsletters, creating and running a symposium on our company’s software….all the things that used my creativity and people skills. While at the credit union I decided that I needed to further my education in order to get where I thought I wanted to go. I enrolled in the Anderson University MBA program. It was a great program and I enjoyed being back in the educational system. Aha! Is it starting to make sense yet?
We were placed into cohorts and I immediately bonded with my fellow classmates. Yes, the homework and projects could get tedious, but again, I was enjoying the educational experience. I was also enjoying my marriage. It was at this time that we decided to start a family. And sure enough, we got pregnant very quickly. I couldn't believe I was going to be a father. This was a seminal moment in my life. Let me explain. As I had been taking classes I had this weird feeling. It was sort of like I was in a right size, wrong shape moment of my life. For example:
All these events, along with becoming a Dad myself, came together and made me really think hard about what I wanted to do with my life. I thought about my Dad and how he did what he loved. It wasn't about a paycheck, it wasn't about status, it wasn't about having stuff, it was about doing what he loved to do, whether at work or in his personal life. Pardon me while I interject my faith in this story, but I truly felt as if God was calling me to teach. I had heard plenty of storied while growing up in the church about people being “called” to do God’s work. I always thought it meant going to Africa and living with nothing while being a missionary. Again, I was wrong.
It was a Sunday night. My wife and I had just finished watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition (ironic, isn't it?) and I just knew I had to tell her what I was feeling. As we went into our room I finally broke the news to her that I felt as if I should become a teacher. Did I get the response I expected? Yes. She became very upset and emotional with me. She doesn't like change and she had enough to last her for awhile with all my job issues. It was going to be more money, more time, more everything. I told her we should sleep on it. Honestly, I just wanted to stop her from killing my dream more than anything. I lay in bed knowing in my heart that this is what I should do. After I fell asleep I had the most vivid dream about being a teacher in a classroom. I woke up and knew that this was a sign and that I had to tell my wife. But after the previous night’s discussion I was a little guarded about telling her this news. I bit the bullet and told her about my dream. She began to cry. I thought, here we go; the volcano is going to erupt. And then she told me that she had the exact same dream – me teaching in a classroom. We both began to cry as we knew that I needed to become a teacher.
Thus began the process to find out how I could become a teacher. Luckily, the state of Indiana has a program called Transition to Teaching. This allows individuals from the business world to enroll in a university where they would enroll in classes designed to educate them on the teaching process. The individual’s undergraduate degree determines the subject matter for that individuals teaching license. As mentioned earlier, I have a degree in marketing so my content area was going to be Business. As I began to look at the universities in the Indianapolis area that had the T2T teaching program with the Business content area it became very clear that there might be a problem. Almost all of the programs were full-time programs and that was something I was sure I couldn't do. Not with one son just being born and my wife being out on maternity leave. My decision was essentially made for me. There was one program that had the Business content area and night classes – the University of Indianapolis. Again, it felt as if all the planets were aligning for me.
My first day on campus, after a full day of work mind you, was a breath of fresh air. I felt really charged up and ready to tackle the opportunity that lay ahead of me. But I was also nervous; I had so many questions. What were the teachers like? What were my fellow students like? Would I understand any of this “teaching” talk? There is always a shred of doubt that comes creeping in once you finally come face-to-face with challenge that is a career change. And I was 35; was I going to be the old fart? I knew I didn't act my age, but it was still a concern. As I entered my initial class I was one of the first ones there so I got to choose a good seat, but the little boy in me came out hoping that someone would sit by me and that I wouldn't look like a loner or a loser. Gradually, all the students arrived. At the time I had no idea of the relationships and friendships that would form from this group of people. Looking back, I was truly blessed to be in this specific cohort at this specific time. Dr. Mendenhall was our first instructor and he made us feel so comfortable. The aura that he exuded sent me back to a time when I was in middle school. He was the teacher that I wanted to make proud of my work. I knew immediately that he cared about his profession and that he cared about the program. And that means a lot because I then immediately cared about the program myself. I bought in from day one. We had the requisite get-to-know-you activities that first day and I got to meet some very cool people. Again, I “just knew” that this was the right place for me.
The other major instructor that I was going to have in this program was Dr. Ridgway. She and Dr. Mendenhall have to be the two most important figures in the teaching career of any of the students that go through the University of Indianapolis. They are amazing people, as well as, teachers, advocates, friends, and peers. Dr. Ridgway made me feel as if she was my older sister, watching out for me and making sure I took the right path and did things the right way. They both took great pride in nurturing us and molding us into teachers. I wish I could truly describe how I feel about them in words, but it’s difficult. Yes, I have not kept in touch with them regularly since I graduated (a bad habit I am trying to break), but they are part of what I do in the classroom every day. Each one of my students is being taught by them while they are being taught by me. And that is the best gift that I can give to them.
There were a few other students who I bonded with in our cohort. I got along with everyone; our cohort was a fantastic group of people. But there are certain ones that you just jell with on a personal level. Adrienne Qualls, Heatherly Hite and Scott Riley were the individuals that I instantly bonded with on a personal level. We formed our own little community within our cohort. Our personalities meshed and we had a good time in class. It was important to me that I enjoyed this experience to the fullest. I knew that this was my calling, but I wasn't about to kill myself by putting undue pressure on top of life’s pressures that already existed. I can look back now and smile when I think about the topics, assignments, projects, deadlines and whatever else was thrown at us while in the program. And these three people were a major reason for that. I can’t thank them enough for being there for me. And I hope I was there for them.
Now I know there were occasions where other members of our cohort probably felt as if we were a little too lackadaisical in our attitudes or that we didn't care, but I can assure them that this was not the case. I am a person who likes the find the humor in any situation. And my situation was that I was a new Dad, working full time, and going to school to change my career completely. I needed the humor. It helped me survive. At no point in the program did I ever not take my work seriously. I tell my students that to this day – I will always try to smile and have fun, but I do take my teaching seriously. And that’s another thing that I learned in this program. I cannot call teaching my “job”. I can’t say that I am going to “work”. It’s neither. It is my life now. I teach and I go to school. And I can’t even put my head around the thought of ever going back to the 9-to-5 life again.
The curriculum was pretty straightforward. Since we already had our content areas set, the professors’ job was to teach us how to teach. In my case, I think I learned more watching how they taught then what they taught. I know I still use teaching strategies in my classes that I saw Dr. Mendenhall and Dr. Ridgway use in our classes. Every step of the way, whether it was 505, 506 or Climate and Culture, the professors’ taught us and modeled to us the different methods of teaching. My favorite parts of the classes were when we actually got to teach a lesson or had to come up with a creative way to present curriculum to students. Back in high school, as mentioned before, I was a late bloomer. During our sophomore year all students were required to take a Speech class. Being the runt in the class didn't exactly bolster my confidence when standing in front of people and talking. I got to my Speech class on that first day and almost wet myself. It was full of the popular, smart and athletic students in my class. I was terrified. Our first speech was introducing another member of the class to the entire class. I know for a fact my voice shook like Peter Brady’s (time for a chaaaaange) when I gave this first speech. I also know that I cried the night before because I was so scared. If you talk to my mom now, she’ll probably tell you that I cried before every speech that semester. I've blocked most of it out of my brain at this point. But I do remember one important thing. After our last speech our teacher was handing out our grades and she commented on how well spoken the class was from beginning to end. At that point she made note to the class that there was really only one person with significant improvement from the first speech to the last. She no more got those words out of her mouth when she handed me my grade…and at the top she had written – nice improvement. I was on cloud nine. I had made it through. Whew!! Now here I was 20 some years later taking classes so that I could talk in front of people every day. And I loved it. Miracles never cease.
We weren't offered the luxury of having Dr. Mendenhall or Dr. Ridgway for our content area pedagogy class (unless your content area was foreign language) so I was curious, not only how the class would be run, but who would be running it. Once again, the Big Man upstairs was looking after me because the Business area teacher was a fantastic educator named Paige Balka. She had a presence about her when she was in front of our class. There is something a little bit different about being a business teacher. Many of us have spent time in the business world prior to becoming a teacher. You could tell from the first time you met Paige that she brought a very business-like attitude to the classroom. And that was something that we, as new teachers, needed to see. She was demanding of us and our work. But at the same time, she did have a sense of humor and a very personable side once we got to know her on a personal level. It was extremely helpful to have a model for us as business teachers as we were learning our craft. She was also very instrumental in helping us find our way within the curriculum of business. It’s a different bird. Things like marketing, technology and finance are very fluid. It isn't like Algebra where formulas never change or English because verbs are always going to be verbs. We have to adapt to the ever changing times and Paige was great at showing us strategies to use to enable us to keep up. I consider her an extremely important part of my teaching life (again, though I haven’t maintained very good contact – sorry Paige).
Around this time I could see the opportunity to student teach closing in fast. I was excited about the chance to actually get into a classroom, but dreading the part where we don’t get paid. My wife and I were discussing our options quite a bit as Christmas rolled around in 2004. We were on our way from Alabama (where most of her relatives live) to Chicago (where my family was gathering) when we thought she was getting sick. We just assumed it was the stress of the holidays and all the travel. The holiday season ended as January rolled around and things started to get back to normal. By this point, our first son, Brannon, was almost 14 months old. It was a fun time as a Dad. On my 3rd or 4th day back at work my wife, Rebecca called and asked if I wanted to meet her at home for lunch. I told her I didn't have time and didn't think anything of it. Once I got home, Brannon was with the grandparents and it was just the two of us. She proceeded to tell me that she wasn't sick – she was pregnant again. Huh-wha???? I was shocked. I had thought we were taking the precautionary measures making sure we wouldn’t get pregnant due to my upcoming student teaching. Now THIS threw a kink in the plans. I was certain that this was going to be the derailment of my plan, as if I hadn't learned a single thing through this entire process to this point. Rebecca and I talked about the possibilities of moving my student teaching to the spring once the child was born and we had some to time to get everything squared away. I have to admit I was extremely disappointed at this point. To be at the juncture in this process where I could see it and taste it, yet think that I would have to postpone it was heartbreaking. So I did what every student in the MAT program should do, I talked with Dr. Ridgway and Dr. Mendenhall. We discussed our situation and they let me know that some schools will hire students in the process of getting their licenses on what’s called an emergency license. This means that the school couldn't “find” anyone else to teach the class and that the state should grant the eventual teacher a license to teach with until the completed license was obtained.
OK, now I had an option. They would keep their eyes and ears open and I would constantly check the Indiana Department of Education website for possible jobs. As if it wasn't stressful enough with everything I had on my plate at the time, rolling the dice everyday to see if a possible teaching opening was available for someone with my credentials added to that pressure. Yet again, I doubted the path I had been set on (see a recurring theme here?) and started to give up hope. Since my undergraduate major was Marketing, I needed to look for a position in the Business content area. These jobs aren't exactly a dime a dozen, because those classes are elective classes. Students aren't forced to take business classes, therefore business departments are relatively small and jobs scarce. However, I did have quite a bit of professional experience in the Information Technology area – 12 years to be exact. So those were my choices.
You know that butterfly feeling you get when you see something you've been looking forward to for quite awhile? I got it one day when I saw that Westfield High School had an opening for a Technology teacher. This applicant needed to have experience teaching computer hardware and software classes to the students. Hey, that’s me! So I applied, and got my first experience in filling out application forms for schools. As if that wasn't enough, there was a section of the application where I needed to answer questions on how I would handles certain situations and students. It was very interesting and stressful at the same time. The most important thing I did for myself was not try to answer the questions with the answers they wanted to hear, but with my genuine responses. I clicked the submit button and began to dream.
About a week later I received a call from the Westfield-Washington School District. They wanted to interview me about the Technology teacher position. Hallelujah!!! I got a bite, but can I reel them in? I went to the interview more nervous about any interview I've ever had in my life. And then a funny thing happened. This giant red headed man took me into his office and then setup a video camera on his desk. He explained that they videotape all of the interviews in the district and should an applicant pass the first interview, they forward the video on to the school and its administrators. This threw me for such a loop that I forgot to be nervous. To top that off, he explained that he was going to give the interview with no emotion so that I would not take any nonverbal cues from him and be completely sincere with my answers. And he did exactly that – the most deadpan, monotone interview I have ever had in my life. The scene was so bizarre that it just fit my situation and I felt pretty good after the interview. I hoped I would hear something soon.
THE NEXT DAY, Stacy McGuire, the principal at Westfield High School, called me and asked if I could come in and interview with her. Wow!!! I was on cloud nine. The second I walked into her office and we began to talk, I just knew this was right. Her demeanor fit perfectly with my personality, yet I could sense her authority and love for her job. She graduated from WHS herself so she was very invested in the school. She explained that the questionnaire that was part of the application was to discover the teaching personality of the applicant. This part of the application process weeds out teachers who do not have the teaching philosophy they are looking for in potential teachers. My teaching philosophy came up as student-centered, which triggered my application to move on in the process. After we talked for awhile she explained that she needed to go to the Superintendent and the School Board to let them know that I was the candidate they wanted for the job, but since I didn't officially have my license yet they would need to apply for an emergency license.
And yet again, I waited…..and worried. Hey, do what you do well. It took a lot longer than I had hoped but I finally got a call from Stacy and she said that my emergency license was approved and that I was going to be hired. Praise the Lord!!! I was not going to have to postpone my student teaching!! Not only that, but I was also going to get paid while I student taught. Unbelievable. I didn't think it could get any better. And then I met my Cooperating Teacher. Her name was Becky Sondgeroth and she had gone through the University of Indianapolis program as well, so she knew exactly was I was going through in every phase of my introduction to public education. We met a couple of times and everything just felt so comfortable about the time and place for me. As if the entire process wasn't all lining up for me from the very beginning, here I was ready to be a full-fledged teacher. It was a great feeling. I met all of my fellow business teachers, as well as some teachers who had classes near me. I got along well with everyone. It was destiny.
Funny story – being a brand new teacher in the district, I needed to attend New Teacher Orientation a couple of days before school started. As you remember from earlier, my wife was pregnant with our second child during this whole process and he was about to be born. Since she had a Cesarean Section with our first son, she was going to have the same for our second son. We were given a couple of dates to choose from, one of which was August 15. That date struck home for me as it was my birthday. We chose that day because I just thought it would be super cool to have a son with the same birthday as me. Well, guess what day New Teacher Orientation happened to fall on? Yep, August 15. I got up that morning with a smile on my face that you couldn’t blast off with a jackhammer. My first order of business was to go to the Orientation, where I had to let them know that I was leaving at noon so that we could have our son. August 15, 2005 will always be one of the greatest days of my life because it was my first day in my new profession of teaching, my first day at Westfield High School, and my birthday. My friends say I should have bought a lottery ticket that day….but I had a few things going on and couldn't find time.
Back to Westfield, the first day of school came and I woke up and was surprisingly calm. Normally I am pretty nervous about new and unexpected occasions. But that morning, I wasn’t. Good sign. I got to school, went to my classroom, and waited for the students. I’ll never forget that feeling I had that first day. It was the most confident I had ever felt with any job in my entire life, and I owe that all to the University of Indianapolis MAT program for preparing me the right way. After the day was finished, the shop teacher, Doug Orahood, came by my class to ask how my first day was at school. Right before he left, he asked “So, do you feel like a teacher?” I smiled and responded, “I am a teacher.” I just knew.
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You Just Know
This was a common response that I would receive when I would ask a married friend how they knew they had found the right person to marry. It would drive me CRAZY. How do you “just know”? Do you wake up one morning and feel different? Is it a flash of light in the sky with hymns playing in the background? Or did they just beat you into submission? I never understood that answer…until I met my wife. Then I got it. But the funny thing was – I thought it only applied to marriages. Boy was I wrong.
As a kid growing up in Central Illinois I loved many things. Sports, for instance, were a big part of my childhood. To this day I am a completely ridiculous over-the-top fan of my teams. So as I got into high school I thought that my career choices would veer in that direction. As a sophomore I decided to look into becoming the Athletic Trainer for the football and basketball teams. The coaches were very open to teaching a student how to tape ankles and knees because it gave them extra time to prepare for practice and games. And as a late bloomer (and I mean LATE) it gave me the chance to be involved in our school’s sports teams. During my junior year I started to look at colleges that had solid athletic training programs and I had narrowed it down to two, the University of Iowa and Northern Illinois University. I took my ACT, applied to both, got accepted to both and then began my decision making process. Well, that was easy; Big Ten School versus smaller state school was no contest. I decided I was going to the University of Iowa.
I began changing my allegiances in the sports world to Iowa from Illinois, I was that sure. And then came the day where I was going to send in my housing deposit and my parents told me that they wanted to talk to me. They had decided that they were not going to let me go to Iowa. As I mentioned before, I was a late bloomer. At this point in my senior year I was probably just a shade shorter than my Mom, who stands all of 5’1” tall. Yeah, that late. I was heartbroken, but at the same time I knew my parents were looking out for me. So I felt as if this was a sign that I wasn't supposed to be in athletic training. I enrolled in the local community college and had to decide what I was going to study. It came down to two choices – business and teaching. I LOVED cool commercials, especially the ones that NIKE had come out with starring Bo Jackson. But I also loved reading about World War II and American History. The final decision came down to this – my Dad was a blue collar worker at Caterpillar Inc. He helped build the chassis’ for the tractors. After watching him work his tail off and go on and off strike with his union I decided I was going to go the white collar route. I majored in Marketing.
After my first year at the community college I transferred to Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. In May of 1990 I was the first person on either side of my family to graduate from college. It was a very proud moment for me. During my senior year my best friend from growing up had called me and asked what my plans were post-graduation. I told him my only plan was NOT to live at home. He had gone to Purdue University and began to look at Indianapolis as a possible destination. His family had grown up just north of town, so we had contacts already in place. I thought and prayed about it and decided I would join him.
After trying to break into some jobs that involved marketing, I fell into the Information Technology field. It excited me because I have always enjoyed being familiar with the cutting edge of the newest technology, if I wasn't able to own it. I progressed fairly quickly through the ranks and into other companies while honing my skills. In 1996, I joined a company called EDS and was making over $50,000 a year. I thought I had it made. In 2000, it got even better when I got married to the love of my life. We decided to build a house and it looked like the pattern for the rest of my life was set. So then why was I unhappy?
Let’s go back to 1996. While I was on a trip to Florida on vacation I got a call from my parents. They told me that my Dad had a brain aneurysm and was going to have surgery on it the next week. Needless to say, I was floored. I went back home to Illinois for the surgery. In a weird twist of fate I was the first (along with my Mom) to see him after surgery. My dad was 6’3” and about 300 lbs. His friends at work called him Bear. He was our family’s rock. And to see him in his hospital room, helpless and vulnerable….it rocked me to my core. I stepped out of the room and wept uncontrollably. I was devastated. It got worse one week later when I got the call at work that my Dad had passed away from blood clots to both his lungs and his heart. I went into a downward spiral. All I cared about was pleasing me.
You are probably wondering – wow, thanks for depressing me and what does this have to do with teaching? It will make sense shortly, I promise.
In the next few years, I got married to my soul mate, who was a second grade teacher. I was jealous of her time off during her breaks and her summer vacation and made sure to let her know about it. I still wasn't right in my head and one day my wife told me she spent the night in our closet crying. She told me that I wasn't me, the real Shawn. I was just a shell of myself. This is when I took stock of my life and knew some things needed to change. And lucky for me, some things changed without me having to do anything myself. The technology company I worked for decided to cut my entire division and I lost my job. I was ecstatic. I was so tired of it and needed a change. My friends called me the happiest unemployed person they ever met. In a span of four weeks I was able to get another job at a local credit union….doing technology. At first, I was just glad to have a job because we had just moved into our house four months earlier. Yes, I was burnt out on it. However, I was at a place where they got the right people and then saw where they fit best as opposed to trying to put someone in a position and hoped they stuck. My place happened to be doing marketing for a small subsidiary business within the credit union. I assisted the Saleswoman on making her presentations, doing mailings and newsletters, creating and running a symposium on our company’s software….all the things that used my creativity and people skills. While at the credit union I decided that I needed to further my education in order to get where I thought I wanted to go. I enrolled in the Anderson University MBA program. It was a great program and I enjoyed being back in the educational system. Aha! Is it starting to make sense yet?
We were placed into cohorts and I immediately bonded with my fellow classmates. Yes, the homework and projects could get tedious, but again, I was enjoying the educational experience. I was also enjoying my marriage. It was at this time that we decided to start a family. And sure enough, we got pregnant very quickly. I couldn't believe I was going to be a father. This was a seminal moment in my life. Let me explain. As I had been taking classes I had this weird feeling. It was sort of like I was in a right size, wrong shape moment of my life. For example:
- As I worked with my cohort they constantly told me that I explained things well and that I would be a good teacher.
- I enjoyed listening to my wife’s stories about her classroom and the experiences she was having on a daily basis
- As I was in class, I started to focus more on how the material was being presented than what was being presented
All these events, along with becoming a Dad myself, came together and made me really think hard about what I wanted to do with my life. I thought about my Dad and how he did what he loved. It wasn't about a paycheck, it wasn't about status, it wasn't about having stuff, it was about doing what he loved to do, whether at work or in his personal life. Pardon me while I interject my faith in this story, but I truly felt as if God was calling me to teach. I had heard plenty of storied while growing up in the church about people being “called” to do God’s work. I always thought it meant going to Africa and living with nothing while being a missionary. Again, I was wrong.
It was a Sunday night. My wife and I had just finished watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition (ironic, isn't it?) and I just knew I had to tell her what I was feeling. As we went into our room I finally broke the news to her that I felt as if I should become a teacher. Did I get the response I expected? Yes. She became very upset and emotional with me. She doesn't like change and she had enough to last her for awhile with all my job issues. It was going to be more money, more time, more everything. I told her we should sleep on it. Honestly, I just wanted to stop her from killing my dream more than anything. I lay in bed knowing in my heart that this is what I should do. After I fell asleep I had the most vivid dream about being a teacher in a classroom. I woke up and knew that this was a sign and that I had to tell my wife. But after the previous night’s discussion I was a little guarded about telling her this news. I bit the bullet and told her about my dream. She began to cry. I thought, here we go; the volcano is going to erupt. And then she told me that she had the exact same dream – me teaching in a classroom. We both began to cry as we knew that I needed to become a teacher.
Thus began the process to find out how I could become a teacher. Luckily, the state of Indiana has a program called Transition to Teaching. This allows individuals from the business world to enroll in a university where they would enroll in classes designed to educate them on the teaching process. The individual’s undergraduate degree determines the subject matter for that individuals teaching license. As mentioned earlier, I have a degree in marketing so my content area was going to be Business. As I began to look at the universities in the Indianapolis area that had the T2T teaching program with the Business content area it became very clear that there might be a problem. Almost all of the programs were full-time programs and that was something I was sure I couldn't do. Not with one son just being born and my wife being out on maternity leave. My decision was essentially made for me. There was one program that had the Business content area and night classes – the University of Indianapolis. Again, it felt as if all the planets were aligning for me.
My first day on campus, after a full day of work mind you, was a breath of fresh air. I felt really charged up and ready to tackle the opportunity that lay ahead of me. But I was also nervous; I had so many questions. What were the teachers like? What were my fellow students like? Would I understand any of this “teaching” talk? There is always a shred of doubt that comes creeping in once you finally come face-to-face with challenge that is a career change. And I was 35; was I going to be the old fart? I knew I didn't act my age, but it was still a concern. As I entered my initial class I was one of the first ones there so I got to choose a good seat, but the little boy in me came out hoping that someone would sit by me and that I wouldn't look like a loner or a loser. Gradually, all the students arrived. At the time I had no idea of the relationships and friendships that would form from this group of people. Looking back, I was truly blessed to be in this specific cohort at this specific time. Dr. Mendenhall was our first instructor and he made us feel so comfortable. The aura that he exuded sent me back to a time when I was in middle school. He was the teacher that I wanted to make proud of my work. I knew immediately that he cared about his profession and that he cared about the program. And that means a lot because I then immediately cared about the program myself. I bought in from day one. We had the requisite get-to-know-you activities that first day and I got to meet some very cool people. Again, I “just knew” that this was the right place for me.
The other major instructor that I was going to have in this program was Dr. Ridgway. She and Dr. Mendenhall have to be the two most important figures in the teaching career of any of the students that go through the University of Indianapolis. They are amazing people, as well as, teachers, advocates, friends, and peers. Dr. Ridgway made me feel as if she was my older sister, watching out for me and making sure I took the right path and did things the right way. They both took great pride in nurturing us and molding us into teachers. I wish I could truly describe how I feel about them in words, but it’s difficult. Yes, I have not kept in touch with them regularly since I graduated (a bad habit I am trying to break), but they are part of what I do in the classroom every day. Each one of my students is being taught by them while they are being taught by me. And that is the best gift that I can give to them.
There were a few other students who I bonded with in our cohort. I got along with everyone; our cohort was a fantastic group of people. But there are certain ones that you just jell with on a personal level. Adrienne Qualls, Heatherly Hite and Scott Riley were the individuals that I instantly bonded with on a personal level. We formed our own little community within our cohort. Our personalities meshed and we had a good time in class. It was important to me that I enjoyed this experience to the fullest. I knew that this was my calling, but I wasn't about to kill myself by putting undue pressure on top of life’s pressures that already existed. I can look back now and smile when I think about the topics, assignments, projects, deadlines and whatever else was thrown at us while in the program. And these three people were a major reason for that. I can’t thank them enough for being there for me. And I hope I was there for them.
Now I know there were occasions where other members of our cohort probably felt as if we were a little too lackadaisical in our attitudes or that we didn't care, but I can assure them that this was not the case. I am a person who likes the find the humor in any situation. And my situation was that I was a new Dad, working full time, and going to school to change my career completely. I needed the humor. It helped me survive. At no point in the program did I ever not take my work seriously. I tell my students that to this day – I will always try to smile and have fun, but I do take my teaching seriously. And that’s another thing that I learned in this program. I cannot call teaching my “job”. I can’t say that I am going to “work”. It’s neither. It is my life now. I teach and I go to school. And I can’t even put my head around the thought of ever going back to the 9-to-5 life again.
The curriculum was pretty straightforward. Since we already had our content areas set, the professors’ job was to teach us how to teach. In my case, I think I learned more watching how they taught then what they taught. I know I still use teaching strategies in my classes that I saw Dr. Mendenhall and Dr. Ridgway use in our classes. Every step of the way, whether it was 505, 506 or Climate and Culture, the professors’ taught us and modeled to us the different methods of teaching. My favorite parts of the classes were when we actually got to teach a lesson or had to come up with a creative way to present curriculum to students. Back in high school, as mentioned before, I was a late bloomer. During our sophomore year all students were required to take a Speech class. Being the runt in the class didn't exactly bolster my confidence when standing in front of people and talking. I got to my Speech class on that first day and almost wet myself. It was full of the popular, smart and athletic students in my class. I was terrified. Our first speech was introducing another member of the class to the entire class. I know for a fact my voice shook like Peter Brady’s (time for a chaaaaange) when I gave this first speech. I also know that I cried the night before because I was so scared. If you talk to my mom now, she’ll probably tell you that I cried before every speech that semester. I've blocked most of it out of my brain at this point. But I do remember one important thing. After our last speech our teacher was handing out our grades and she commented on how well spoken the class was from beginning to end. At that point she made note to the class that there was really only one person with significant improvement from the first speech to the last. She no more got those words out of her mouth when she handed me my grade…and at the top she had written – nice improvement. I was on cloud nine. I had made it through. Whew!! Now here I was 20 some years later taking classes so that I could talk in front of people every day. And I loved it. Miracles never cease.
We weren't offered the luxury of having Dr. Mendenhall or Dr. Ridgway for our content area pedagogy class (unless your content area was foreign language) so I was curious, not only how the class would be run, but who would be running it. Once again, the Big Man upstairs was looking after me because the Business area teacher was a fantastic educator named Paige Balka. She had a presence about her when she was in front of our class. There is something a little bit different about being a business teacher. Many of us have spent time in the business world prior to becoming a teacher. You could tell from the first time you met Paige that she brought a very business-like attitude to the classroom. And that was something that we, as new teachers, needed to see. She was demanding of us and our work. But at the same time, she did have a sense of humor and a very personable side once we got to know her on a personal level. It was extremely helpful to have a model for us as business teachers as we were learning our craft. She was also very instrumental in helping us find our way within the curriculum of business. It’s a different bird. Things like marketing, technology and finance are very fluid. It isn't like Algebra where formulas never change or English because verbs are always going to be verbs. We have to adapt to the ever changing times and Paige was great at showing us strategies to use to enable us to keep up. I consider her an extremely important part of my teaching life (again, though I haven’t maintained very good contact – sorry Paige).
Around this time I could see the opportunity to student teach closing in fast. I was excited about the chance to actually get into a classroom, but dreading the part where we don’t get paid. My wife and I were discussing our options quite a bit as Christmas rolled around in 2004. We were on our way from Alabama (where most of her relatives live) to Chicago (where my family was gathering) when we thought she was getting sick. We just assumed it was the stress of the holidays and all the travel. The holiday season ended as January rolled around and things started to get back to normal. By this point, our first son, Brannon, was almost 14 months old. It was a fun time as a Dad. On my 3rd or 4th day back at work my wife, Rebecca called and asked if I wanted to meet her at home for lunch. I told her I didn't have time and didn't think anything of it. Once I got home, Brannon was with the grandparents and it was just the two of us. She proceeded to tell me that she wasn't sick – she was pregnant again. Huh-wha???? I was shocked. I had thought we were taking the precautionary measures making sure we wouldn’t get pregnant due to my upcoming student teaching. Now THIS threw a kink in the plans. I was certain that this was going to be the derailment of my plan, as if I hadn't learned a single thing through this entire process to this point. Rebecca and I talked about the possibilities of moving my student teaching to the spring once the child was born and we had some to time to get everything squared away. I have to admit I was extremely disappointed at this point. To be at the juncture in this process where I could see it and taste it, yet think that I would have to postpone it was heartbreaking. So I did what every student in the MAT program should do, I talked with Dr. Ridgway and Dr. Mendenhall. We discussed our situation and they let me know that some schools will hire students in the process of getting their licenses on what’s called an emergency license. This means that the school couldn't “find” anyone else to teach the class and that the state should grant the eventual teacher a license to teach with until the completed license was obtained.
OK, now I had an option. They would keep their eyes and ears open and I would constantly check the Indiana Department of Education website for possible jobs. As if it wasn't stressful enough with everything I had on my plate at the time, rolling the dice everyday to see if a possible teaching opening was available for someone with my credentials added to that pressure. Yet again, I doubted the path I had been set on (see a recurring theme here?) and started to give up hope. Since my undergraduate major was Marketing, I needed to look for a position in the Business content area. These jobs aren't exactly a dime a dozen, because those classes are elective classes. Students aren't forced to take business classes, therefore business departments are relatively small and jobs scarce. However, I did have quite a bit of professional experience in the Information Technology area – 12 years to be exact. So those were my choices.
You know that butterfly feeling you get when you see something you've been looking forward to for quite awhile? I got it one day when I saw that Westfield High School had an opening for a Technology teacher. This applicant needed to have experience teaching computer hardware and software classes to the students. Hey, that’s me! So I applied, and got my first experience in filling out application forms for schools. As if that wasn't enough, there was a section of the application where I needed to answer questions on how I would handles certain situations and students. It was very interesting and stressful at the same time. The most important thing I did for myself was not try to answer the questions with the answers they wanted to hear, but with my genuine responses. I clicked the submit button and began to dream.
About a week later I received a call from the Westfield-Washington School District. They wanted to interview me about the Technology teacher position. Hallelujah!!! I got a bite, but can I reel them in? I went to the interview more nervous about any interview I've ever had in my life. And then a funny thing happened. This giant red headed man took me into his office and then setup a video camera on his desk. He explained that they videotape all of the interviews in the district and should an applicant pass the first interview, they forward the video on to the school and its administrators. This threw me for such a loop that I forgot to be nervous. To top that off, he explained that he was going to give the interview with no emotion so that I would not take any nonverbal cues from him and be completely sincere with my answers. And he did exactly that – the most deadpan, monotone interview I have ever had in my life. The scene was so bizarre that it just fit my situation and I felt pretty good after the interview. I hoped I would hear something soon.
THE NEXT DAY, Stacy McGuire, the principal at Westfield High School, called me and asked if I could come in and interview with her. Wow!!! I was on cloud nine. The second I walked into her office and we began to talk, I just knew this was right. Her demeanor fit perfectly with my personality, yet I could sense her authority and love for her job. She graduated from WHS herself so she was very invested in the school. She explained that the questionnaire that was part of the application was to discover the teaching personality of the applicant. This part of the application process weeds out teachers who do not have the teaching philosophy they are looking for in potential teachers. My teaching philosophy came up as student-centered, which triggered my application to move on in the process. After we talked for awhile she explained that she needed to go to the Superintendent and the School Board to let them know that I was the candidate they wanted for the job, but since I didn't officially have my license yet they would need to apply for an emergency license.
And yet again, I waited…..and worried. Hey, do what you do well. It took a lot longer than I had hoped but I finally got a call from Stacy and she said that my emergency license was approved and that I was going to be hired. Praise the Lord!!! I was not going to have to postpone my student teaching!! Not only that, but I was also going to get paid while I student taught. Unbelievable. I didn't think it could get any better. And then I met my Cooperating Teacher. Her name was Becky Sondgeroth and she had gone through the University of Indianapolis program as well, so she knew exactly was I was going through in every phase of my introduction to public education. We met a couple of times and everything just felt so comfortable about the time and place for me. As if the entire process wasn't all lining up for me from the very beginning, here I was ready to be a full-fledged teacher. It was a great feeling. I met all of my fellow business teachers, as well as some teachers who had classes near me. I got along well with everyone. It was destiny.
Funny story – being a brand new teacher in the district, I needed to attend New Teacher Orientation a couple of days before school started. As you remember from earlier, my wife was pregnant with our second child during this whole process and he was about to be born. Since she had a Cesarean Section with our first son, she was going to have the same for our second son. We were given a couple of dates to choose from, one of which was August 15. That date struck home for me as it was my birthday. We chose that day because I just thought it would be super cool to have a son with the same birthday as me. Well, guess what day New Teacher Orientation happened to fall on? Yep, August 15. I got up that morning with a smile on my face that you couldn’t blast off with a jackhammer. My first order of business was to go to the Orientation, where I had to let them know that I was leaving at noon so that we could have our son. August 15, 2005 will always be one of the greatest days of my life because it was my first day in my new profession of teaching, my first day at Westfield High School, and my birthday. My friends say I should have bought a lottery ticket that day….but I had a few things going on and couldn't find time.
Back to Westfield, the first day of school came and I woke up and was surprisingly calm. Normally I am pretty nervous about new and unexpected occasions. But that morning, I wasn’t. Good sign. I got to school, went to my classroom, and waited for the students. I’ll never forget that feeling I had that first day. It was the most confident I had ever felt with any job in my entire life, and I owe that all to the University of Indianapolis MAT program for preparing me the right way. After the day was finished, the shop teacher, Doug Orahood, came by my class to ask how my first day was at school. Right before he left, he asked “So, do you feel like a teacher?” I smiled and responded, “I am a teacher.” I just knew.
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