Rough Riding.

Just once it would amaze me if my life went smoothly. It never does. If you keep up with my FB blab then you know that since I discovered that cowboy boots keep my feet and tendons in one piece, I have been actively looking for work.  I found an advertisement for an LPN instructor on the Internet with Antonelli College right here in Jackson. I was really excited about it. I had the requirements for the job and I really LOVE to TEACH.

After a very POSITIVE, as in one of the most Affirming interviews I ever had, I did a mock teach and was offered the job.

 RED FLAG #1 they didn't offer me the job they advertised for. They said the LPN program wasn't ready yet would I teach anatomy and physiology until it is ready. I would be offered a full time faculty job when that happened. To tell you the truth I was a bit stunned. No one said anything about anatomy until they said they wanted to hire me. BECAUSE I really want to teach nursing I thought it would be OK. I did alright in my science classes. I didn't get A's but a B in those courses is good. They also told me that the level I would be teaching was not nearly as difficult it would be for medical assistants, and massage therapy students. They also promised a lot of help and support.

RED FLAG #2 YOu start on Monday. Where is my book? We don't have one. Where is my teacher guide? Zip nada. Where is the answer key? Zip.....OMG what a set up for failure.
NEXT!!!

 RED FLAG #3 remember 3 strikes your out?

Their corporate head quarters has decided to make Anatomy 2 into 2 courses. Their are only 7 chapters for that section. In a 2 or 4 year college Anatomy is covered in one semester. This school is dragging it out into 3 terms of 8 weeks. For the Anatomy 3 class we are to spend 3 hours twice a week on 20 pages of material. There is no lab. There is a lab book for Physiology with a DVD but it has not been connected by IT. They change their passwords almost daily so no one can use anything on their personal computer. There is no way to actually teach this portion of the class but it is on the syllabus and the students want to know why they had to pay for this! OF COurSE they do!!!!! DUH!!!!!  Next RED flag #4..... corporate those people whose job it is to screw up the working peoples jobs have changed the book. They have changed the picture of the book on the syllabus but not the actual syllabus. The syllabus which dictates everything done in the class does not match the book in any way shape or form. The DVD with the power point also does not match. I went through the syllabus and the book and wrote in the right chapter numbers and pages and made some suggestions for additional chapters to cover.....BECAUSE WE WERE TO DO 3 CHAPTERS IN 8 WEEKS.
I KNOW I just said that. Do you like to hear things repeated? How about if you are paying good money to go to school and show up to class for the second session and HEAR the same lecture again?
TOTAL MUTINY! Some of the kids packed up and left. Some asked why I was treating them like retards. They LOOKED at the syllabus and saw that next week was the same chapter another 2 times and went and had a hissy fit to the president of this college. Who is a rattle snake in disguise.  OK This is where we take a breath.....
Today was the first day that went well. I actually learned how to use the grade keeper, the test generator, and enter attendance in the computer. My Anatomy 1 students really liked me. That they gave me TWO different areas of Anatomy to teach with no notice or preparation or MATERIALS was not lost on me. AFTER the mutiny I lost it. I mean I really lost it. I let my assessment of this disaster be known on no uncertain terms. AS in, "this is a total set up for failure and I have lost all credibility with these students because of this total lack of organization!!!" If you know me in real life you know I am a passionate person. I have a strong sense of justice. I can be incredibly vocal about injustice. To me it is obvious that these students are being exploited to make the college money. They are producing a lousy product. This entire fiasco was not my fault. I was doing good to come back. After the first day with no book and getting thrown under the bus I wanted to run.
I WENT BACK because I really want to teach nursing. I want to inspire nurses to care to do the right thing not the easy thing. To be their patients advocate and solve problems not just let it slide and do nothing. To lift the covers and really check their patients out and not just use their stethoscope in 3 spots feel a pulse and call it DONE. I want to teach nurses to SEE.
The good part to the story is..... I made a friend. The dean just loved me. He has been a principal of elementary school children. He loved how I told him about teaching my granddaughter to write in a cookie sheet of pudding, because she was so hyper she wouldn't hold a pencil. He loved how I think out of the box and problem solve. He wants to stay in touch. I have never been let down nicer. I think it really broke his heart that she wanted to terminate me in my first week after not even giving me a fair chance to succeed. She had the audacity to ask me to come back for the LPN program, which I said I was absolutely NOT interested in. RU FREAKIN insane?  SERIOUSLY???????
So here I am a little bruised for the wear but not defeated. The dean was so kind. He told me, "YOU HAVE GOT THIS YoU ARE A NATURAL BORN TEACHER DON'T QUIT!"

Which made me thank God and tear up because I hung in there when I didn't want too and just when I thought I could do it she cut me. Even when someone is nice it hurts. I was willing to hang in there.  I was willing to work on my own time to prepare for two classes without any notice, to get to where I wanted to go.
It's their loss. I'm embarrassed for posting it to the whole world,  I never dreamed it would be like this.
This is real life though isn't it? I went in to work this morning thinking this verse, "Faith is the evidence of things hoped for but not yet seen." My Jesus loves me and HE has something better. Some time in the near future something will happen and this will all click. We will look back and see why I had this little trial by fire, AND God will turn it into something good.