I realized today that it has been a few months since I last posted which is rather unacceptable considering the fact that I don’t have homework like I did in grad school. It’s amazing how time has flown since that post in August, but really I wouldn’t have it any other way. My job is amazing. I can honestly say that it doesn’t feel like work at all because I genuinely enjoy it that much. The staff and students as well as administration in my building are stellar. They have a passion for what they do, and it shows. It makes going to school everyday a lot more enjoyable.
I will be honest in saying that I was scared to death when I started. Not because of the situation which was a little overwhelming because of the time frame but because of my ability to do the job. I will say, though, that Penn State prepared me immensely. Obviously no program could really prepare you for every school or every situation, but I feel more confident in the decisions I make because I have a good understanding from my educational experiences at Penn State. I praised Penn State in this last paragraph which as much as I talk about their sports and my love of Pitt, they did give me a great education. And for the money I paid for it, I hope so! 🙂
When I’m not in school, of course I’m doing a lot of other things that I keep me busy. Even though sometimes I feel like I’m not busy enough…which I know many people (including my mom) would thoroughly disagree with and say that I’m on the move too much. The thing about it is that I need constant motion to keep me going. I love being busy. There’s nothing in the world I’d rather be than busy because it keeps me on my toes and really allows my productivity to flourish. Sometimes, though, I can procrastinate things that are less important to do things that are more enjoyable like go for a drive or go to Zumba instead of working on something at home. We all have our flaws though. 🙂
If there is one thing that I’ve learned in the past few months of my new job though, it is totally that keeping a smile on your face is the best way to get through any situation. I guess this isn’t really something I’ve just learned, I’d say I’ve known it for a few years now, but it definitely comes in handy in the school system. Things can really get you down or stress you out, but it’s best to know that being negative about it is not going to solve a thing. It’s so incredibly crazy to me how far I’ve come with being a positive person. I’ve mentioned this before, but if you look at other blog posts on Facebook, my tweets on Twitter, etc. from years ago, you barely could find something sunshiney about it. It was very tough for me to ever see the good in anything. There were definitely many factors that played into those thoughts, but I’ve always liked the saying “God only gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.” It is definitely not where you start, it is where you end up that makes you a resilient person. I’ve been blessed to be able to come from being a Negative Nancy to being a Positive Polly. I’ve also found that smiling and being positive is much easier and a default for me anymore.
I told my kids at the beginning of the year in my lessons that I can be that positive person in their life. I don’t ever want to go back to where I was with expecting the worse and thinking that nothing would get better. It’s not easy, but it can touch a lot more people in a good way than in a way that may be harmful such as where misery loves company. Smiling and allowing yourself to find the positives is something that can be challenging, but is definitely worth the time and the effort.