When I first started this site, it was in an effort to compile all aspects of my life into one. As it turns out, that became a little bit easier with a job change. As I looked down the barrel at my impending thesis, the schedule I was maintaining as a high school teacher started to seem like too much. I was teaching from 7-3:30, sponsoring a class, hosting fundraisers, going to school events, etc. and then taking grad classes at night, and passing out on the couch at 9pm. The schedule was unsustainable, and even though I loved teaching high school, I made the decision to become a full-time graduate student and accept a graduate teaching assistantship. This means that I now teach two sections of freshman composition at the university and take classes in the afternoon.
To say my teaching schedule is lighter would be an understatement. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean I have a lighter workload – I just have more flexibility with how I organize my day. Because I teach fewer hours, I take the excess hours to do the reading and research I used to do during class or at night when I couldn’t comprehend anything anymore. I’m also all on one campus now, which has cut down on driving time and meal prep and outfit organization time. All in all, my professional and academic life is healthier for it. I may one day return to high school, but for now, this change in position has made a massive difference in my ability to be a scholar. As soon as I made the decision, my thesis topic took shape, I was better organized, and better able to conduct research for it.
My personal writing goals have also seen a dramatic improvement. I finally had the time to devote real work to the manuscript I’ve been working on for a few years. It had, unfortunately, taken a backseat due to time restrictions. I also felt like I had no creative energy when I had to devote so much elsewhere. Now I’m back to a routine of writing and revising that feels really good.
When I first made the decision to go full-time and quit my high school teaching job, I wondered if it was the right one. I loved my students and I was happy with my job. But now I see what a difference the change has made in my life for its current stage. I had to trust my instincts, and now I feel so much better for it.
Kristen Grafton 