Well, with all the upheavals going on, posts have dropped off a bit. Sorry! It's been a hectic new year so far, not just for me I know. But to quickly update, I am unemployed and dilligently looking for a job. I was really starting to freak out last week about the situation--I got laid off Jan. 23, so I've been out of work for a while now (for me), and I didn't get unemployment money right away due to the nature of how I lost my last job (I was fired, in short). The unemployment finally was approved this week, though, and it's retroactive, so I got some relief. And it allows me to not have to take a job out of complete desperation. I can try for at least a little while to find a job that I really think I could be at for a long time. In other news, I am in the midst of taking biology again and love it! I can't believe how fascinating I find it this time around (I took it in high school AND college, so I guess third times a charm). I also costumed a show called "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" for the Theatre Guild of Webster Groves. Here's a picture.
And yes, they are supposed to look like 70's bridesmaids dresses. I made the dresses and hats all by myself, and I have to admit, I'm pretty proud. The cast is great, too, and we've had fun. I just made some homemade bread (my new favorite thing to do! Fresh warm bread with butter, honey and jam is the best!). Oh, and I am newly addicted to the Food Network. I love food.
I spent some time over the past few days reading blogs written by current Teach for America teachers. For those who don't know--Teach for America is an Americorps program that basically places people in teaching positions in really struggling schools--the ones that are usually in bad neighborhoods, violent, poor, etc. You don't have to be certified to teach, you just have to have a certain number of college credit hours. People are placed all over the country in all grades and subjects. It's multi-purpose--these are schools that don't have enough teachers, and the people who do TFA are usually the kind that really want to make a difference. I have a couple friends who've done the program (it's 2 years--you get a small stipend while teaching and a money award afterwards that most people use for grad school. And you can be a certified teacher usually after completeing the program.), and it's really a tremendous thing to do, but very difficult. I keep toying with the idea, but for real, reading what some of these teachers go through, I don't know if I would be up for it. It's really hard stuff. I love the idea, but I don't honestly know if I could handle going to teach at a school where there are gunfights in the hallways on a regular basis. Anyways, the blogs these teachers write contain a lot of stories about the kids (without using their names of course), and after reading them, I just wanted to tell my whole family how much I love you all and how grateful I am to have you. Even though things get tough for me sometimes, I always know without a doubt that I have in my family a support system that would never let me sink. And one full of intelligence, kindness, respect and acceptance. The kids in these schools often do not have that. They may even have parents who really do care, but are too overworked to be able to be home to make sure the kids do their work and stay out of trouble. I am incredibly blessed to have a strong family, and I know that is part of the reason I have made it as far as I have. So I love you all, and I thank you for being there for me.
Night!
