To whom it may concern:
I am applying for the position of “Teacher – Adult Learning Facility”.
I am entering into my 23rd year of teaching and, still, every year the night before classes begin I am a nervous wreck. My stomach is in knots and I do not sleep. Well, I guess I do sleep,= somewhat as my dreams are always of the same nature: I am completely lost standing at the front of the class and struggle to figure out what it is that I’m trying to accomplish. The students either sleep or walk out. Egad. I guess my dreams are night-mares. This is an annual happening even though I’ve been teaching for So long.
Why do I keep applying? I love teaching. It is one of the most rewarding jobs I could ever think of. Teaching is the only job where you have the opportunity to “learn” everyday. Of course, the job I’m to do is to “teach” but I have always clung to the notion that, “to teach is to learn twice”.
Teaching is such a rewarding profession. There are challenges, I’ll admit. Without these challenges, however, the job would be pretty dull and boring. Adversity is the best teacher. I learned that from my students.
I learned how to be resilient from my students. It was because of the resilience I saw in them, that I was able to come back to work after the trauma of losing Mom. I thought, if my students can survive broken relationships, addictions, abuse, poverty, trauma, mental health challenges, learning challenges… so can I.
I learned to embrace other cultures from my students. Cussing is a language. Tatoos are a language. Piercings are a language. I did not speak this language until I began working adult students. I thank them for enlightening me, for helping me understand so that I do not condemn.
When I am teaching, I feel exhilarated. I sometimes am even so bold as to think I can make a real contribution. With only a little encouragement from me – students can find their talent, have confidence in their talent, and delight in their ability to use their talent. In this case, I am a cheer-leader. I am sometimes their biggest, loudest cheer-leader. ”Find your passion!”, I say. ”Love what you do.”, I say. ”Live deliberately.”, I encourage. ”Be purposeful.”, I advise.
Still, I have learned students who are much wiser, innovative, and capable to make decisions than I ever have been. I have learned from students who were older, younger, and with far more life experience than I’ll ever have. I have learned from students who were able to juggle a job, children, addiction, problematic relationships, and money challenges all the while attending school with dedication and ability. And all the while, I was supposed to be the teacher.
I sincerely hope that you will keep an open mind when considering me for this position of adult-education-teacher. Give me a try. I come to you with experience, a most sincere heart and a passion for learning.
Yours very truly,
Stacey
