Can our dreams of becoming teachers be realized in this economy?

Have you ever wanted something so badly, but it just always seems to be out of your reach?  I have and still do!  Since I was a child I have dreamed of becoming a teacher.  I didn't go to college after High School like many of my friends did, instead I started a family that I stayed home and raised.  


In 1998 I went back into the workforce as an Office Manager for a computer store, where I dealt with the various school districts around us on a daily basis as I quoted them computer labs and other peripherals.  I continued to work at the computer store for about five years before I decided that I would never be able to grow at my current place of employment and I wanted something more out of my life.  It was then that I thought about what was really important to me along with my hopes and dreams.  I thought about my children and their education.  It was then that I took my first step and decided to go back to school to get my degree in education.


I began that journey in the Summer of 2003 and I worked very hard to keep my grades up while taking care of m family.  I even started volunteering at my children's school with the parent teacher organization, which I later became treasurer and president of.  I also became a Girl Scout leader for both of my daughters Girl Scout troop.  It was a very rough ride, but in December 2007 I graduated with my BS in Early Childhood Education (P-4). 


It was at that time that I began my job search for a lifelong career as an elementary teacher.  I began by substituting for all of the local school districts.  After a year of doing that with no nibbles I took a job offer at a local NBC affiliate in their Accounting department to help my family meet their financial needs.  I continued submitting applications and resumes for job positions that became open throughout the various school districts, but never received a phone call to interview for any of them.  


In February 2010, my position at the television station was eliminated and the very next day I received my divorce papers in the mail.  It was a very hard month, but my children and I decided to move from the only home they had ever known in Arkansas over 2400 miles away to Oregon for a fresh start.  We have been settling in here for almost a year now and I have gone back to school to get my Masters in Education Media Design & Technology, which I will graduate with in July of this year.  I am still submitting applications and resumes to various school districts hoping and praying for a teaching position, but have yet to see a response or even a glimmer of hope in that direction.


In our current economy I am not holding my breath for an education job due to all of the budget cuts, employees who aren't ready to retire, and being in that over 40 age bracket that sometimes isn't considered with all the younger graduating hopefuls.  Everything has become so political and if you don't know the "right person" then your chances are even lower.  I am not so much set to teach elementary school anymore as I once was, but then again breaking into secondary education or even online education for that matter these days is just as difficult.  Especially if you have absolutely no teaching experience besides just your internship and substituting.  So how does someone get their dream job these days with so much against them???  That is a very good question and one I would love to be able to answer.  I just keep trying and pray that one day I will be able to fulfill my dream of teaching.


I have been told by my friends, colleagues, and other educators that with all my technology background and willingness to try new things that there should be multiple opportunities available to me.  Being out of work for a year now I have looked at taking a position just about anywhere and everywhere.  However, it seems that I am over qualified for many of the accounting or office positions I have taken in the past or that they are afraid to hire me in fear that I will leave if a teaching position should become available.  The economy has been hit hard making it difficult for us all.  This has been a very hard road to walk down, but I am determined to follow it through until I finally do reach my goal and dream of teaching somewhere in what was once a great land of opportunity for us all. 

BP8_OMM_doTemplate

My one minute video on doTemplate.com. 


Credits:
Animation created on GoAnimate.com
Website created with doTemplate.com
Video edited with iMovie 

BP1_Google Reader

I found so many different and interesting RSS feeds while searching for the five feeds needed to meet the requirements of this post. I had hoped to find more that may have directly related to my Action Research project, but did not seem to have much luck in that search. Below are the top five from my search and why I chose them.

edurealms.com  - This is one of my favorite sites.  I stumbled across it while researching my Action Research project. Lucas Gillispie has this site and the Wiki below. He has wonderful information on how to use gaming in education with a special focus on MMORPG’s (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplay Games). Since I am doing my Action Research project on MMORPG’s this was a natural fit with great presentation resources and a wonderful post showcasing his newest project highlighted in his SlideShare below. 

WoWinSchool: Anatomy of A Weekly Module

View more presentations from Lucas Gillispie.

WoWinSchool  - This site is about a project that Lucas Gillispie has been conducting using World of Warcraft for an after school program focusing on at risk students. There is so much here to explore. He has lesson ideas for various subjects, supporting research, video links, discussions and more. This site prompted me to contact him about my Action Research project. I find what he is doing very inspirational and a great model for me to work from. 

Virtual Learning Worlds  (Exploring the power of games and other forms of media) – Barton Pursel has over 100 posts about gaming. He explores new games that he believes have educational value. I totally agree with his statement that in order for you to know what educational value a video game may or may not have you have to actually play it. Being an avid gamer myself and conducting my Action Research project on one type of game, I find this site very helpful in seeing what is new out there and can possibly be used in an educational setting.

Educational Games Research  - This site is great because it is from an educator who discusses various topics relating to academic research on the use of video games in the classroom. He even has links to the top journals for video game research. This will be a great resource for me and my Action Research project.

Teacher JOB Blog  - I chose this site for the simple reason that I have been out of work since February 2010 and looking for a teaching position. This site offers current job postings as well links and resources for anyone who may be looking for a teaching career. I have tried many other websites and resources, so why not add another one to my arsenal to give me more opportunities to find a position somewhere.