Stand Up for Kids (Hi, Sean)

I've ended life as a teacher in Vermont. I didn't burn any bridges; I am still fully licensed to teach in Vermont, and will be for the next 7 years, but I don't expect to go back to that. I'm now living in Houston, and working as a waitress. This feels like a different life -- the nature of this place and this job are starkly different from everything previous. I like the work because I can leave at the end of my shift and not worry about a thing until I walk back through the restaurant doors at the beginning of my next shift. I don't have homework for this job. I don't have moral dilemmas attached to this work. The worst damage I can do is not to bring the correct food to the correct guests promptly.

I lasted three weeks as a full-time waitress. By now, I'm bored and craving something more meaningful. I read books about adolescents and about teaching. I realize that teaching filled me emotionally, spiritually, and occupied me physically and intellectually. The frustration was intense, but so was the challenge and the joy. I started to regret not returning to Randolph this year. I am quite sure that I could easily find a teaching position here, but I can't lose sight of the purpose of this year off from teaching: I am searching for something a little more fulfilling, a little less frustrating.

I found an organization called Stand Up for Kids, a national organization with a relatively new Houston branch. The group supports and advocates for the ~3000 homeless youth in Houston. On Tuesday, 13 September, they open a drop-in center downtown, which basically serves as a safe place for kids to go. I have yet to learn about the specific services the Houston center will provide. I am looking forward to becoming involved with this program -- initially, just to get a better sense of what they do and how they work, but later to think more about what I can bring to the organization and what I can learn from participating that might translate into a new professional path. All in all, I'm very excited about where this might lead.