I re-read my year-ending post from 2011. (I would have written "last year", but it's 2013 now, so that wouldn't have worked.) It was reflective and for the most part, to the point, so I'll do that again.
- There's no question about my survival this year. I'm still here and kickin', which is a minor miracle considering all of the flux in both the positive and negative direction in both my professional and private life. Nevertheless, I'm healthier, psychologically and physically, than I was last year at this point.
- Graduate school...I've covered this topic extensively this year, so I won't fully rehash it today, besides saying that I'm thankful that it is done. Also, I recognize that my first experience with graduate school was atypical in that in the purpose was to get my teaching credentials ALONG with a master's degree, which I think watered down the rigor. As we speak, I'm in the process of applying to a M.Ed. program in Teacher Leadership. Hopefully, I will get in, and have more of an opportunity to explain what's going to happen in this program and what I hope to accomplish in it. It suffices to say that me and grad school ain't done. We just can't quit each other.
- The quarter-life crisis is still not over, personally or professionally, but I'm working through it. More to the point, I'm getting a grip on dealing with uncertainty, and how to make it work for me. I'm about 90% sure of the direction I'm going professionally, and I realize that having fun while figuring out the personal life stuff is actually okay, and in fact, is encouraged. What's the point of having a personal life outside of work if you don't actually enjoy yourself?
- My ending point/goal for 2013: Find balance between my work and my personal life. I want to give 100% to my work; I love what I do. I'm passionate about what I do and why I do it, so I want give my best towards my work. At the same time, I want to give my best towards myself. I want to be in the best physical shape that I have ever been this year. I want to explore interests that I haven't had time to in the past, like travelling, getting deeper into physical activities, and doing more multimedia projects. Yes, this is all about having the cake and eating it, too. But why the hell not if the cake is good?
- In the past, I thought I was having my cake and eating it too. It wasn't until 2012 that I realize that I been having the cake but was only eating crumbs of it. Academically, I was/am a rock star. I have an extremely kick-ass work ethic and set of standards, which has made success a given for me; I work for it, dammit! It hasn't been until recently that I realized that this doesn't fulfill the non-teacher part of Ms. Insane. While my professional success is a big part of what make me...me, it doesn't fill the entirety, for which I am now seeking fulfillment.
Last, but not least, as my final part of the back for 2012, the recap of 2012:
- January 2012: Beginning of second semester as an actual teacher at my beloved charter school
- March/April 2012: The race to the Georgia CRCTs ( = Super-Stress & Super-Amount of Starbucks = Nasty Caffeine Addiction)
- May 2012: CRCT Results back...The kids kicked ass!/Successful end of first year of actual teaching
- August 2012: Graduated from graduate school/Received Master of Arts in Teaching!
- August 2012: Beginning of second-year as an actual teachers/Promoted as Department Chair
- October 2012: Promoted as Grade-Level Chair (I gave up the department as a result, by choice)
- December 2012: End of second semester as an actual teacher at my beloved charter school
Again, much bitching takes place here on my blog, but I couldn't be more blessed. I asked for this, and have received some much more than what I asked. However, in totality, I'm doing well, and in the process of making sure I do even better in 2013!
To friends, loved ones, and strangers who read this, thank you for rocking with me, and reading this. I put myself out here to: a) get it out, as a cathartic process, and b) in the hopes that someone relates or gets some perspective of teaching, even though mine represents only a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of what happens.
Again, thanks dear readers, and Happy New Year! Here's to 2013!
