The Life of Bon: Would you have let me student teach?

Friday, December 06, 2013

Would you have let me student teach?


Digging through my google drive account tonight, I found this essay. It was written four and a half years ago as part of a student teaching application. It's a wonder, they let me in, huh?

I'm a firecracker- the littlest things excite me, and I am always ready for an adventure.  I love parties, dances, huge groups of people, and staying up late. I live to travel and see how crazy the world is.  I love diet coke, the Office, and a fresh tube of mascara.  I have intense road rage.  Annually I pay hundreds of dollars in speeding and parking tickets.  April Fools is my favorite holiday.  The entire month of March I spend preparing to do clever pranks to my friends and family.  The pranks each year must be better than the year before.  One year I had my entire apartment of friends believing that the apartment was haunted.  They were crying in fear of ghosts.  Another year my sister received millions of phone calls for cheap electronics.  She couldn’t figure out where the calls were coming from. 

I do not like taking out the trash, cleaning out the car, or breaking up with boys.

From June of 2007 to December of 2008, I served as a full time missionary in Resistencia, Argentina.  What I originally thought would be a crazy, fun adventure turned out to be much harder than I ever imagined.  I spent six of my first months in a small town, isolated from other missionaries, and with a depressed Latin companion who I could hardly understand.  The branch in the city had less than 20 active members and no one was interested in the message we carried.  The work was so unsuccessful that I wondered what in the world I was doing on a mission.  As I suffered, cried for home, and questioned the Lord, I grew closer to Him in a way I never could have imagined.  Suddenly, I could no longer run to my family or friends with my problems.  The only one who was always there was the Lord.  I learned to pour my heart out to Him.  I learned to trust Him.  I learned to stop telling Him what I wanted, but rather to try to align my will with His.  I have now been home for four months, and I can hardly talk about my mission without tears of gratitude and tenderness.  My “service” to the Lord is the greatest gift He has ever given me.  

The road to be a teacher seems to have no end for me. To help me pay for my endless journey I have taken up a job serving the geriatrics at Sizzler.  I still can’t figure out how I ended up working at the one restaurant in a college town where no college students come in.  But the people are nice, and somehow I have been working there for three years.   I like the job because there is no time to think of any outside pressures- no thinking about school, money, or boys.  I just have to remember that table four wants a plate of lemons, the couple needs refills, clear the plates, and pick up the crumpled bills left on the table.  I earn the money to pay my tuition on my own- two dollars at a time.

I am a voracious reader, practically inhaling any book that comes my way.  Writing is my passion.  There is a constant conversation in my head as I try to think of a way to write about a certain event that just took place, an interesting person I have met, or why I hate ironing.  My dream is to help kids become powerful communicators through writing, and because of that I want to be an English teacher.  I am stoked and terrified at the same time.  Since the time I was 17 years old I have dreamed about becoming an English teacher.  I look forward to teaching high school “punks” and trying to get them excited about reading, writing, and even grammar.  I don’t expect all kids to love language arts, but I want them to respect it, and understand why it is so important.  Patience is something I continue to work on, but I do have a ridiculous amount of energy- which I am hoping will save me on those long days with sixteen year olds.

I hope to spend several years as a teacher.  I also hope to raise a family, and pray that somehow I can manage to be a mother and an English teacher at the same time.  I want to have a grip of kids and a crazy busy life.  I am making no significant progress towards meeting a husband, (I seem to have a bad habit of dating deadbeats) but I trust in the Lord’s timing and am happy with my life right now. 


FOR YOUR WEEKEND READING:
+ If you're new to the party- a little introduction to everything Life of Bon.
+ One of my most viewed posts ever- why making friends after college sucks.
+ Tis the season to be engaged.  Here's what I think about it!  (Hint:  it sucks!)
+ One of my favorite posts I ever wrote- the "good old days" are right here and now baby.
+ This has been saving my butt ever since it dumped on us resulting in a constant stream of snow and dirt coming into our home.  Winter, go away!

P.S.  If you are here from Becky's blog please say hi!

16 comments:

  1. I'm from Becky's blog! Hi :]

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  2. Pish!!! Id be an idiot not to hire you! "I'm a firecracker" I like that. And in case you needed reminding I sort of like you too BonBon! XO

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  3. I saw your post on Becky's blog and it gave me a good laugh over coffee this morning. Makes me wonder if my step-son is in your class considering the random rhetorical sh-- that comes out of his mouth. Loved it by the way.

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  4. Good morning! Stopping over from Becky's and I think you've earned a new follower in me! I love your to-the-point bluntness and humor! So raw and refreshing!! I can't wait to stalk you...I mean, read more! :)

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  5. Hi I'm from Becky's blog and I've enjoyed going through your blog, cause I'm a creep like that! But moving forward, I'd hire you, we'd have too much fun that's for sure!

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  6. I am from Megan's blog. I am catching up on all my blogs. I am a high school geography teacher!!! It is sooo exciting to find another teacher. Reading your assignment reminds me a lot of myself. I am not sure i would have let myself into my classroom.....isn't that interesting! I guess I should give any college kid a chance if the opportunity should come up!

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  7. Umm, this is absolutely hilarious and I LOVE that you used it as part of an application. Glad you got that deadbeat boyfriend situation figured out, too ;)

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  8. I would have hired you! You didn't write what you thought they would want to hear. :)

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  9. I would of hired you, definitely honest! :)

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  10. No. No, I would not have hired you.

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  11. Definitely would've hired you -- this is so honest and real! I loved it!

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  12. Oh my gosh, this is hilarious! I'm so impressed that you turned that in. I wouldn't have the guts to be so open to anyone with that much power over my future!

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  13. I bet your essay was a great break from all of the mundane, boring, generic, "pick me, I'm so mature" essays that they must have gotten! :P And I am sure the enjoyed it as much as we all enjoy your writing :)

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  14. haha I loved this, sadly it can be rare for people so real and honest, I'm sure they appreciated it! No teacher is a saint, I'm sure they thought the students would appreciate a real person living their life, much more relatable! x

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  15. Anonymous11:53 AM

    I want to write an essay like that and get hired. I'm in the wrong industry. I would have totally hired you. My bosses however, probably wouldn't have...

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  16. This is an adorably disjointed, honest essay. I know nothing about teaching, so I can't say if I would have let you student teach (I wouldn't let ME student teach, sooo...) but I like this a lot. I, too, appreciate a fresh tube of mascara. :)

    xoxo,
    gayle | grace for gayle
    I'm a #Previvor!

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