Jodie recently wrote about losing a job and what that means to some people. I have never, technically, been fired from a job. But, I did lose a job in the early 90s. It was tough for a lot of people seeking jobs back then. Hold tight for another trip down Memory Lane!
College…
When I first decided to go to college in my late 20s, I met with a counselor at the local commuter college, IPFW. When I was going, if you wanted to be a teacher, you had to go to IU. I really didn’t care. Nigel graduated from Purdue with his engineering degree. I always tease that we’re a house divided. Honestly, it was a huge convenience for us to be able to go there. I met with a counselor and told him I wanted to be a teacher. I originally thought I wanted to be an English teacher. I was really naive and figured I’d be teaching literature. The counselor shut those dreams down like an egg hitting concrete. He told me English teachers were a dime a dozen. Plus, if I got a job, I’d be teaching grammar to freshmen and probably the freshmen who struggled most. He suggested I go elementary. To be completely honest, at that point, I just thought you got an education degree and could teach any grade!
A little more…
Thus began my college career. For anyone new here, I had three kids under the age of four at that time. My oldest was in (what we called it then) nursery school. My two youngest just needed looking after in order to take care of the essentials…eating, changing diapers, staying alive! Nigel worked with a guy who had kids the same ages as ours. His wife and I had become friends over the years, and she agreed to babysit the kids. I tried my very best to arrange my schedule around the kids’ schedules. That meant, once they were all in schools of one kind or another, I would go to class if possible. I had five babysitters over the four and a half years I was in college. For one reason or another, I had to keep changing. Divorce, job change, moving…all of these created situations when I had to find someone new that I could trust. The last was Nigel’s mom. She may have lasted the longest!
Senior symposium…
IPFW’s education program was unlike any I ever came across in all my years of teaching. We didn’t get into a classroom until our Junior year! Imagine! If after all that time, we got into a classroom and decided teaching wasn’t for us! We had to apply to the ACTION program for parts of your Junior and Senior years. You needed two semesters of ACTION. During student teaching, we had different Senior Symposiums. I think it was at our last one that one of the counselors broke the news. Only about 10% of us would get teaching jobs! I know…it’s hard to believe since teacher shortages have been around for several years now. If I’d been a math teacher (I did have a math certificate for middle school) or a special education teacher, I could have gotten a job right away. IPFW didn’t offer a special education program though I did have to take spec ed classes. The purpose of this particular symposium was to tell us, after spending four years of hard work and lots of money, what other jobs we could possibly get with a teaching degree. I don’t remember what any of them were, but I do remember none of them appealed to me.
After graduation…
Remember how I said we had to have those two ACTION semesters in order? Ideally, you would have them with the first in the fall and the second in the spring semester. I, of course, didn’t have that luxury. Mine were spring semester followed by fall which meant I graduated in December. I never did attend my graduation as it was the following May. I had graduated with distinction (3.96 GPA out of 4.0) from IPFW…not that that counted for anything. Now, I needed to get a job. I didn’t get a full-time job, but I did get called to administer tests to incoming kindergarten kids. These were to decide readiness for school. There’s lots of discussion about this all the time. Some schools still do it while others say it’s not a good picture of the child done so many months before they even could go to school. I just did the testing and learned a bit about what individual standardized testing was like. That didn’t last very long, only a couple of months.
Substitute teaching…
One of my good friend’s mom worked at an elementary school in our county. Eileen must have called someone because I received a phone call from the special education coordinator for our county to see if I could fill a maternity leave for a learning disability teacher. I was thrilled to just get my foot in the door, so I accepted even though I’d only had those two relatively innocuous spec ed classes. I split my time between two elementaries. One day, I turned up at the wrong school, and the custodian smilingly told me I’d made a mistake! That is when I discovered how much I loved special education and decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in it. As that semester neared its end, both school principals wanted me to remain. The teacher, however, was coming back, and there was nothing they could do about it. The next semester, I started subbing throughout the county and earned a reputation as a sub who not only kept the kids in line but also actually taught! That meant I was being called for sub jobs almost daily. Well, good old Eileen (who I always thought didn’t like me) put in a word for me when her school (which was one of the two I had subbed in) needed a part-time office aide. I had to think long and hard about that one. Should I give up access to getting my name known by more principals and teachers, or should I take the job with a steady income? Despite my misgivings, I decided to become an office aide. It was there that I learned the office is the hub of a school! And, the secretary? She’s the queen of the hub! Eileen and I got along wonderfully, and I really enjoyed being her aide. Unfortunately, she had a heart attack during that semester so I ended up being her for a few weeks until the doctors decided she could come back.
My first REAL job…
I’m not sure if I ever mentioned where we built our house up north. We built it opposite the grade school I attended and the one my kids then attended. My oldest son’s teacher taught fourth grade and had a heart attack. Another substitute filled in for her as I was still in college. When Mrs. R’s only daughter died of a ruptured appendix and peritonitis, I think her heart just wasn’t in teaching anymore, and she retired. That created a vacancy in fourth grade right across the road from us! I already had my application in with the school corporation but wasn’t necessarily positive I’d get the job. I did get an interview. What really nailed it for me? The principal was from my old neighborhood, and the Westgate ties run deep! I am absolutely positive that’s why he hired me. I don’t think he ever even considered that I might not be a good teacher. He just wanted to claim he’d hired me because of that Westgate connection…dumb, I know. So, I began the next school year as a fourth-grade teacher in the building I’d attended from first through eighth grade! I couldn’t have asked for more.
That first job…
I worked my butt off, my friends! I knew it was important to be the absolute best I could be since jobs were so scarce. I made some of the coolest bulletin boards (which I detest), created amazing lesson plans, attended all the in-service programs I could, and spent hours in that building. I would go home with my kids at the end of the day. They were in 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades then. We would have dinner as a family, and then, after they went to bed, I would go back to school and work for another hour or two. I did that almost every night. But, I didn’t take anything home with me!! Hahaha! During the year, the young woman who had subbed for the fourth grade teacher and now taught third grade became a good friend. We decided to plan a reading night for the entire school. We presented our idea to the principal. He was all for it. We planned everything out…from food to entertainment to sleeping arrangements. We got parents involved and hyped it up. We did leave out the 6th-8th grade as we thought they were too old to mix with K-5 students. The following week, the principal laughingly told us our jobs were guaranteed for next year!
Well…
Some time in the years before I was hired, the schools in our corporation had actually existed as little entities all by themselves. They were governed by a trustee. That trustee hired and fired, decided salaries…all kinds of things. I think there might have been some kind of small scale school boards that helped, but I really can’t remember. Anyway, almost every school in our area had requested funds from the state to build on for almost the same reasons. The state came back with…”Nope, you need to incorporate and figure things out for yourselves before we give you any money!” Of course, the language was a little more formal than that, but that’s basically the gist of it. The six township schools and two town schools already fed into one high school so there was already a level of cooperation. I don’t know how long it took, but, eventually, we became a school corporation with one superintendent and an elected school board. Then, the fun began. There was no master contract for the teachers. The bargaining began, and it was bad. First, there was no money because of thus and so. Then, insurance cost too much. It was just one thing after another. I heard, but don’t know if it was ever true, that the superintendent commented, “If you don’t want to bargain, we’ll just RIF (reduction in force) teachers.” So, that’s what they did. Low man gets the axe first, right? And, who was low man? Little old me! Our principal called us all together one morning after Spring Break (because that’s always such a nice time to fire someone, right) and said there would be cuts made at the school. He didn’t say who, but everyone knew it was me. This took place right before the kids came in. Can you imagine teaching when you’d just found out your dream job was ending in a matter of weeks? Sure enough, I received my “pink slip” which isn’t pink at all. It’s a form letter telling you your contract won’t be renewed. So, I lost this job I loved soooo much even though I knew I’d been a stellar teacher from day one!
The next fall…
As the summer ended, I kept hoping against hope a job would open up for me. I had a couple of interviews and was beaten by a guy who’d beaten me at another job. He really was an excellent teacher, and he is/was (I’m not sure if he’s still teaching) a beloved teacher with so many cool projects and ideas. I ended up with a six-week maternity leave in second grade at the elementary school my dad attended. It was 45 minutes from our house! But, a job is a job. A few weeks into that job, I was called to interview for a position as a learning disability teacher in the county that made up the second half of the spec ed cooperative my corporation was in. I had already started working on my Master’s by that point and was continuing even without a real job. I got hired six weeks into the school year and, like that very first spec ed job, I split my time between two schools. I had to learn the personalities of two sets of teachers, two principals, and all the other little nuances that make up a school…not to mention the school secretary!
A big decision…
The following year, the corporation I now worked for decided to add another spec ed teacher. I got to pick which of the two schools where I wanted to stay. I knew the one school would challenge me professionally and give me so many opportunities to grow. But, it was almost an hour drive each way. The other school was only 20 minutes. I chose that one. One problem was I shared a small room (right off the gym) with the speech teacher. Whenever he was in the building, I had to find another place to be with my students. Eventually, I did have my own little room at the back of the library. Then, when the new middle school opened, our sixth grade left the building, and I got a real classroom. I was a spec ed teacher for about half of my teaching career. I’d always joked with the fourth-grade teacher when she retired I would take her place. Wouldn’t you know it…she retired! And, that’s how I became a fourth-grade teacher…the absolute best grade ever!
Choices…
When I had to make the choice to leave my hometown corporation, I knew there was always the possibility of subbing until a full-time position became possible. I didn’t want to do that, but I did want to teach special education. I didn’t and still don’t regret leaving that corporation for another. The choice of which elementary to remain in…another choice I don’t regret. It was there I met some of the best teachers ever born! And, I also met my very best friend in the world. She is the person who truly knows me the best. She knows me like even Nigel doesn’t. We don’t see each other for weeks, months, or even years, and when we get together, it’s like no time has ever passed. She is a dynamite teacher, too!
The outfit…
I was recently contacted by Tulip Clothing and asked to pick out a few things. I selected the Lily Tank in White, the Scooter Pant, and the Dakota Jacket Top in Ticking Stripe. I admit I didn’t pick them out separately. I was looking at the pants, and I saw the outfit. I thought it definitely looked like me! So, I requested the entire outfit! These are all 100% cotton and just lovely. I hope you can see the beautiful details on the front of the pants. They are slit up the front, button together, and there’s even a drawstring at the bottom. The cotton is all quite lightweight and will work from now until the fall, I’m quite sure. While these were all gifted, I will soon be placing an order! I wasn’t asked to do anything in return for these items, but I wanted to share them with you. Another good thing is these are separates and can be worn with other things! I can’t wait to try them!
The Lewk!
I bought these Born sandals in the NSale many, many years ago. Here is a similar pair, but gosh, have prices gone up! The earrings are real gold and were a gift from Nigel one Christmas. I think several of these bracelets are from World Finds, but I’m not sure which ones. But, let’s talk about this necklace! I bought it at the Dayton Art Institute. Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s a scarab and is iridescent.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I do think, sometimes, being fired can be the best thing to ever happen to you, even though it’s very demoralizing in the beginning. You know you’ve done everything right and very little wrong. You give your heart and soul to your job, and you end up losing it through no fault of your own other than being the youngest hire. So, can we talk? Have you ever lost a job? What advice would you give someone who has lost a job? Who was your favorite teacher? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
Thank you!
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What a great life story, I can really feel your love for teaching.
Thank you, Rosie! I love teaching and find being a docent is a little like teaching. While some of the others in my class for docent training struggled with some aspects, I knew exactly what they were talking about because it was part of good teaching!
What a story, you were born to teach! It’s impressive to me that you did so much as a mom with young kids. That had to be tough. My position was cut one year and I ended up going to a nearby district – a few of the students at my school had a father who was a principal at the neighboring district and he hired me. That only lasted a year and my old principal worked out a way to bring me back, it was like a game of ping pong – ha!!!
Your outfit is so cute. I love the white with the pretty cardigan – it looks so fresh and crisp!
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! Looking back, it does seem rather daunting, but it was just what I had to do at that time. Luckily, kids are very flexible at those ages. I did forget to put in my post that Mike was also going to school at night. He worked full-time during the day and took classes almost every night of the week. That was the really hard part! I’m glad you ended up back at your original school.
Isn’t this just the neatest outfit? I’m trying to decide on a few more pieces…like I need anything!
That outfit is so cute! I’ve never lost a job either but I do remember when I first got my teaching degree I applied for a couple of jobs in our local area and when I didn’t get one made a round of interviews for substitute teaching. One principal told me that THE 1 job that school had had that I had applied for had over 350 applicants. Needless to say I NEVER found a job using my teaching degree as just a few short years later I left the field altogether to stay home with my boys and the job market had been fierce. Plus since I had gotten my teaching certificate alongside my master’s I would have had to started at a higher pay rate and most schools hadn’t budgeted for that with starting positions. I did enjoy several long term sub positions over the course of 3 or 4 years where I did all the roles of teaching including lesson planning, report cards, parent/teacher conferences, etc. so I still felt like I had “my” classroom. Especially once I redecorated, took over swapping out bulletin boards, etc. but I can’t imagine going back now. I have zero desire to work with little kids again; though I have looked at job openings for some of our local colleges!
Thanks, Joanne! I forgot to mention there were over 400 applications for my job! Now, I don’t know if that’s true because the principal was a little on the side of an embellisher. But, the colleges were churning out teachers, and there were so few jobs so it very well may have been true. My sister was in that same position. She had initially gotten a secondary ed teaching degree and went back several years later for elementary ed. But, she’d substituted so much in her school system that they overlooked it. I had two long term sub positions, but they were both in spec ed. Typically, those classrooms are really just little closets that they make into a “classroom.” I thought about teaching college level and was even offered a position once. But, I was just retired and wanted to enjoy that. Then, we moved. Good luck should you decide to pursue it!
Love this breezy look my friend! So perfect for spring and summer. I love hearing about your amazing teaching career. I have got fired from a job and it set me back emotionally for quite a while. I look back now and it had nothing to do with me. I learned a lot though.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thank you so much, Kathrine! I just love it! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. When you lose a job, it really can take a toll on you emotionally and mentally. I knew I’d done everything right and still lost that first real job. But, I ended up in a better place for me. You do learn so much about yourself and the world of whatever occupation you’re in.
That was a really interesting story, it’s lovely to learn more about you. A family member of mine is a teacher and it’s always interesting to hear the differences.
I hardly dare saying that I have been with the same library throughout my working life (it will be 40 years this year, not counting that I also did the practical part of my education as a librarian at the same place).
Thanks, Cat! I love to hear about the differences in teaching in other countries and even different states. Congratulations on sticking with something you love! I would have stayed longer, but the situation was toxic. And, my best friend tells me it just keeps getting tougher to get kids to pass the standardized tests. I think the last few years were especially difficult as these kids would probably have been the ones who spent part, if not all, of the year or so at home during Covid.
Loved hearing more about your early days.
And finding clothing in natural materials is a plus. What a fabulous outfit. I’ll have to check out the brand.
XOXO
Jodie
Thanks so much, Jodie! I took my cue for this post from you! I look for all natural materials all the time. There is, of course, the downside of producing those natural materials. But, if they last longer, that’s surely a bonus!
What a story! So happy that you found your calling 🩷 And I love your outfit!! It will be perfect for the heat of summer ☀️ I will check out this new-to-me bry
Thanks, Allison! I knew when I retired, I would miss teaching forever. But, it was a toxic environment, and I just didn’t want to teach with anyone else but my best friend. We literally finished each other’s sentences and could see the weaknesses and strengths in our lesson plans. I’m so glad you like the outfit. I thought it was just so cute, too! I hope you find something you like…the clearance section is huge right now!
Bless you, going to school with 3 really little ones!! Managing them, a household and school was a LOT. I am sure that is why you are the queen of multitasking now. I don’t know how you juggle all the balls!!
I majored in art ed with a minor (or more) in library science. I don’t think I did anything in a classroom until the last semester of my senior year. Can you imagine? And then I had about 6 weeks in the art classroom student teaching and 6 weeks in the library student teaching. And according to the University of Tennessee, I was ready to go!! My husband at the time wouldn’t let me work so I didn’t get a teaching/library job for ten years…not until I left his controlling butt behind. Lost out on 10 years of paying into retirement. Frustrating these days.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the lewk!! Those pieces are just adorable on you. Perfectly light, airy and spring!! Tulip Clothing needs to feature you online or in their catalogs or however they promote their clothing. You are so cute.
Thanks, Leslie! I was so surprised to be contacted by a legitimate retailer! I get bogus ones all the time. Anyway, the clothing is really very, very well made. I can’t wait to buy some! Hahaha…catalog model would look good on my resume, right?
You know, when I was going through all that, I just did it. The kids were ornery (as toddlers are), but they played together really well. And, even though I had several babysitters, they were all good ones. I think my ADHd (undiagnosed, but I’ve seen enough of it to know) is probably what keeps me going! I just use it to my advantage rather than my detriment. For example, I probably have 20 tabs open on my laptop right now! I didn’t know you majored in art ed…that explains what a wonderful artist you are. It’s the strangest thing that colleges and universities would think waiting that long to put a student into a classroom is a good thing. You could get in there and realize you are just not teaching material. I think I had 10 weeks in 2nd grade student teaching and six weeks in middle school math student teaching. Well, I’m glad you left the guy even though you did lose that income. I lost more than that as I didn’t get a full time teaching job until my early 30s. But, I wouldn’t have given up being a stay at home mom for anything. My pension is pitiful, but I had paid into my 403b quite a bit. That helps with my monthly paycheck.
You really go for it when you want something! I wished I had you as a teacher. And you can say, without a doubt, that you were born to teach! Great outfit too, summery!
Oh, Nancy! You have made my day and maybe my year! I would have loved having you as a student! We just had so much fun in my classroom…we danced and sang. The brain needs breaks in order to process and learn. My kids would make fun of my drawing and beg me not to sing! They didn’t mind how badly I danced, though! Isn’t this outfit just the best?
It was interesting to read all about your teaching career! I’m currently in my 3rd district and hope to stay until retirement. We shall see though! Love the outfit. It’s definitely very you!
Thanks, Laura! I’m glad you like this district. I would guess there are many districts within a short distance of you. And, thank you for the compliments on the outfit! It really is me, isn’t it?
It’s always great to hear more about you Marsha and you are one impressive teacher by the sounds of things!
I have been made redundant from my perfect job as a manager of Education in a men’s jail which I did as well as teaching there, for 22 years. It was a dreadful time so I won’t dwell on that here because I want to say you look absolutely stunning in this outfit! I just love the look on you xx
Thank you so much, Debbie! Gosh, I loved teaching. I felt like I came alive when the kids came in. I do remember you writing about that. It’s painful when you know you don’t deserve it. Thank you for the compliments. I really love this outfit, too! It’s just so much fun!
Yes Marsha I have lost two jobs, both of which I liked. The first was a good thing. Even though I liked what I was doing, the administration made it so toxic that I should have left. The second was devastating, as I had planned for it to be the job I would retire from. So I did retire, but it was sooner than I intended. I felt unappreciated and unwanted. It took me a long time to recover, and I’m not sure I ever will. I’m glad to hear you bounced back so well.
Thanks, Aletha! I did retire because of the toxic environment…you just know when it’s not going to get any better. I’m so sorry to read you lost your last job and were more or less forced into retirement. There were many times I felt unappreciated, too. I always felt wanted…even if it was just nine and ten year olds! I wish you comfort as you continue to deal with this loss.
Wow! That is one crazy story and that totally sucks they cut your job after all that work! You were definitely meant to be a teacher, though, and I can see you really fought hard to keep going when anyone else would have just given up.
I loved the look!
As for the jobs — I never lost a job but I quit two. For the one job, the editor put a total jerk in charge of me but never said he was doing that. He put him in charge of the whole newsroom and I couldn’t stand the guy so I just got up and walked out. Can we say drama queen? I was offered a job two days later with the small town newspaper my husband works for now. It was both a good and a bad thing. Nine months later I was back at the first job because my then fiance (now husband) was working there and we were about to get married a long distance away from the second paper I worked at. The first boss forgave me for quitting and had been trying to get me to come back. I quit that same newspaper a few years later after that first boss left, and we got a horrible man who yelled at me for going to my grandmother’s funeral…but that is a very long story. That second decision to quit made me feel amazing because my husband and I were both employed there and left at the same time, leaving them in a very big hole, which served that new boss right.
Thanks, Lisa! I wasn’t going to give up. If I had to, I would have continued to take those long term sub jobs until a permanent one opened up. Luckily, the spec ed one came along which is what I really wanted to do.
Wow! You are amazing to just get up and leave! That takes guts! How cool the boss took you back though. But, to yell at you for going to your grandmother’s funeral? That’s absolutely awful. I guess Karma hit them big time when you both left!
Wow, Marsha, you had quite a journey! What an interesting read. I also have never been fired from a job but I once was RIF’d from a school district as well. I was an aide at the time and shortly thereafter the school district began a brand new program for teen moms with an attached nursery so the girls could do their school work and tend to their babies. I was in charge of the nursery with another lady. It was a really interesting job but I ended up leaving after 1.5 years for a few reasons…mostly because I was pregnant with Archie and there was a baby covered in head lice that totally freaked me out. So I gave my notice and ended at the Christmas holiday break…never to return to outside work again. Since then, I have been a stay at home momma! I absolutely adore this outfit! The top and pants are right up my alley and the jacket is wicked cute, too. Great post!
Shelbee
Thanks, Shelbee! Isn’t the jacket just the coolest? I love the pants, too! Oh, now my head is itchy!! Head lice was the bane of my existence when I was teaching after a round of it with my own kids. You just don’t want to touch anyone! I think it’s wonderful you’ve been a stay at home momma all these years. I loved teaching and still miss it, but I also recognized I wasn’t in a good place when I did retire. That’s when I needed a crystal ball…like the one I didn’t want in my 10 on the 10th this month!
First thought – I love your outfit! You look so good in white! Second thought – I wish we could spend an hour (or more) talking! I feel like we’d really connect with our life stories and our passion for young learners. As i read this post, I found so many little nuggets I could have expanded on with you – the college years and the programs offered there, the choices you made during your career, the realities of the pecking order and so much more! You are right – the path we take leads us to where we are now and there are many blessings along the way! Thanks for a fun read!
Thank you so much for this, Laura! I do believe we would talk for much longer than an hour! We could probably talk for days and not exhaust our careers, college days, administrators, etc! As I was writing, it occurred to me that I came upon many forks in the road. I really don’t regret any of the choices I made…except for retiring early…maybe a little. If I had known the principal was retiring the next year, I would have toughed it out. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post.
Losing a job can really feel like the end of the world in that moment, but as your post shows, it often turns into a pivot we didn’t plan for, yet needed.
It’s interesting how clarity usually comes only in hindsight—what feels like loss at one point quietly reshapes into opportunity later.
Also, your dress looks lovely, and so do you. We wear something similar here in summers too.
Thank you so much, Chetna! You are so right about how hindsight reveals how much we have actually gained when we thought we’d lost so much. I was very lucky to have things fall into place so perfectly. It was still devastating because I knew I was a good teacher. It was just a financial thing, but it still felt personal.