Everyone is on their own journey. Everyone has their own story. Each educator has goals, both personal and professional. Places they wish to go and things they want to do along the way.
Personally, I am an occasional teacher who is on a journey to becoming a contract teacher. Or, that is the plan at least.
Although not all occasional teachers have the goal of obtaining a permanent contract, many are living the same truth that I am.
When I graduated from the Faculty of Education in 2018, I thought I was fully aware that my journey from occasional teacher to permanent teacher would never be ‘quick’ or ‘easy’.
However, I was not fully prepared for the times I would feel I wasn’t good enough, inadequate, or the days my heart broke as short LTO positions came to an end. I knew there would be interviews I would not receive, jobs I would get declined, and times I would have to wait for something new. It is one thing to be cognizant of this journey but another to be present through it.
Each experience is molding and shaping my practice and allows me to grow both personally and professionally. I have been forced to self-reflect, even in ways that feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar. I am grateful for this journey, the people it has brought me and the opportunities I consistently have for learning.
I must continue to grow and evolve on this journey. There is no way to go but forward.
Let’s make it okay to talk about the raw emotions happening for all of us along the way. I wish someone would have assured me that it’s okay to feel sadness, it’s okay to feel disappointment, discouragement and heartbreak.
I see you OT’s, keep going.
You are valuable, you are worthy, you are irreplaceable.
However, you are human… and feeling is part of the journey.