This is a continuation of the previously closed thread:

https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2067828

When I responded to this thread, I was miserable in my career. But at that point, I had it in mind to change the focus of my teaching career. A friend of mine had already made the jump into another, more desirable certification area, and I was thinking about following her. By that spring, I was pushed into a position where I no longer had to think about it all that much. Change was coming. I determined that I would have some say in how that change played out.

So, I worked hard to get my new certification, and made the switch. The result has been wonderful in almost every way. I no longer have to deal with angry, rude, violent students. I no longer have the tremendous work burdens that classroom teachers have to endure. My commute to work is now the shortest I have had in many years. And I have a wonderful principal and agreeable colleagues.

My life improved due in part to luck, but a lot of it was me making it happen. I enjoy my job now, and I may work past the age at which I had planned to retire. No more "enduring."

Sometimes we endure because we must, but the end goal should always be one of enjoyment of life.

One of my favorite songs is “Vacation” by Dirty Heads.

The lyrics are about if you don’t like how your life is going, change it; whether occupation, or it can apply to most anything, really.

I’m a happy retiree from work and the LDS church, both of which were an endurance contest for me.

I wish I could say that a choice is always available to enjoy the enduring, for that is literally what must be attained to go on as a long-distance runner; but I actually hate all the clichés linking the adversities of running with the adversities of life. The fact is, if you are training for marathons you are an extremely privileged person, and what must be endured in training and endured in life are not the same thing.

It’s pretty amazing how much better life feels with a shorter commute, isn’t it? Throw in better colleagues and you can almost feel the cortisol levelling out. I’m glad you’re in a better place.


Something for the lunch break:

https://harpers.org/archive/2021/12/the-odor-of-things-solving-the-mysteries-of-scent/

Happy for you summer. Most of the teachers I know tell me they are enduring the parents who support their bratty kids. Even if they upped the salaries I would still wonder why anyone would want to teach these days.

Your last line is dead on.

I think that the pandemic has shown how important schools and teachers are. Without schools and teachers many students have fallen behind in their school education. I as a parent have made it a point to donate class room supplies whenever the teacher sends out an email that the classroom is running low on Clorox wipes or gold fish snacks.