Yesterday, a person from our graphics department and I started talking about her husband (she had recommended a Chinese restaurant for lunch that they had used for their wedding reception). It turns out he's a B-track teacher in LAUSD -- South Central. She didn't know my work history, so I told her that I had been a teacher in East LA before this job.
Of course she wanted to know why I left. I gave her the TFA spiel, and then I said I just wanted to get back into journalism. "So you think writing is easier than teaching?" What!?!? I couldn't believe anyone would ever ask that question. I immediately started telling her about the early mornings, late nights of grading, home visits when kids missed detention, etc.
"Really? Now I feel kind of bad!" she says. "I always complain to my husband about how hard my job is. I tell him, 'I have to stare at a computer screen all day! You're up doing things with kids, you get off at three every day AND you get four months off a year!'" Yes, that's true. The teacher vacations are great. But mean nothing when the job isn't for you.
I guess today was a little hard, though. I mean, I had lunch on the company at the Elephant Bar (they pair us up with a veteran worker in another department -- for a "family" feel), I got a free pedicure from a guy who is a licensed massage therapist and they signed me up to go to a Red Cross benefit in Beverly Hills next week that will be hosted by one of the women of Desperate Housewives. Even better than all that though -- I got a brand new three-hole punch when I requested it. That's a sure sign that a job is better.
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2 comments:
happy new hole punch to you, my dear! :)
Well look at you Miss Smarty Pants with the cool new job. My head hurts from getting up in the mornings and doing stuff. Other than Friday's paycheck I am beginning to wonder why I didn't enjoy more of that staying at home stuff.
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