Starting over

I’ve sent my college transcript to my state’s department of education, where it will be evaluated to see how it stacks up against the requirements to be an integrated language arts teacher.

The best case scenario is I’ll only have to take two education courses, pass the Praxis II test and submit an FBI background check before I’ll be qualified to apply for teaching positions.

I’m not sure it will go that smooth — in fact it likely won’t. It may be the case that I have to take more classes to qualify. It may also be the case that my university may require me to jump through hoops to be admitted into the school of education, for instance, taking the Praxis I exam or taking more classes.

For the first couple of days after my decision I was worried about these hang-ups. But, as I think about my current employer and about the status of the news industry right now, I realize it would be a good decision to push ahead and become a teacher no matter what the trouble.

As I’ve written about previously, It makes me a little sad to leave journalism behind. I’ve never really thought about what makes me like journalism, rather I’ve put most of my energy into thinking about what I dislike about the field. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising then that I’ve decided to take a new course.

I never really throught about what I’d do if journalism didn’t work out. It’s another one of those really obvious things that a person should consider. Running into about 10 of those things in the last six months has been a pretty humbling experience.