Life Lessons Through Work

I have been lucky enough to work enough part-time jobs recently to keep payments current on my giant student loans. My jobs have taught me a few things while I'm trying to figure out what I exactly want to do with my life, because I can't live on part-time jobs forever. So What I Have Learned:

1) From my internship-turned-part-time-low-paying, I am not a fan of the business world. I like schedules, having to-do lists, and other things that made me think I would enjoy a “desk job.” False. My boss has been nice enough to let me tag along to Chamber of Commerce meetings, press conferences, and the like. But I don't like it. I hate business dress – having to make sure my dress pants were hung up properly, making sure I have matching knee-high trouser socks, making sure my dark blue sweater really is dark blue and not black. I don't like passing out my business cards, networking, the like. It hit me at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast when a very nice man was talking about his passion for life insurance. I was inspired by his passion, but I really could care less about life insurance or him trying to sell me a policy. I just got the uneasy feeling that the business world was about constantly having to fake an interest in stuff that is really of no interest to you at all. No thank you.

2) From my paperwork and tutoring job at a local tutoring program chain, I have learned that I like kids. A lot. I have also learned that the atmosphere of your workplace can make your experience – or break it. Paperwork days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, usually starting around 9:30. These days are usually a little mind-numbing. We record graded work, and then pull worksheets in a specific order for each kid, and then staple-tear-and-date each worksheet. Usually for two weeks worth. Yet these days have turned into some of my favorite. My boss ladies (two women who I have known for years since their kids went to elementary school with me) play classic rock radio, keep diet sodas stocked in the mini-fridge, and we talk. We've covered pretty much every topic, and I couldn't possibly outline all that I've learned. We also have sunshine breaks Days that could be boring are turned into days that I look forward to merely with some small details added to our workplace. Second, I really like working with the kids. Most are younger than the high-school age kids I work with, but for the most part they are cute, funny, and they try really hard. There are the difficult ones, but if you either make an effort to find some common ground or lay down the law immediately, they respect you and listen to you and try to do their work. During tutoring hours, it's the parents I can't stand. Some just let the kids do their thing and let us do our thing, and everything is golden. Some hover obnoxiously, asking if their kids are doing okay and pestering the kids when they work a little slow. But the helicopter parents aren't that bad either. It's the ones who either completely ignore their kids and don't care, or the ones who humiliate their kids during tutoring hours that disappoint me. Some parents bring their kids to us because “it's the right thing to do,” but they could really care less. They're more worried about the latest gossip and keeping up with appearances. And then there are some who openly criticize their kids, saying one is smarter than the other. Or, as I observed earlier this week, a father stormed in, told his kid he was taking way too long, criticized the amount of work the kid had done in a long period of time, and then pulled his kid out of room. What do you do about that? A few parents observed this, and when we made eye contact, the looks on our faces were similar – disgust at the father, sympathy for the kid.

So in all of this, I have come to one conclusion - I want to teach. I like kids, kids like me, and I think that I have knowledge I could pass on. But most of all, I think kids need someone to stick up for them when things aren't going too well, or when their parents say that their the slow one out of the family. I am in the process of getting info for post-degree teacher license programs at local colleges. So, here's to thinking I know what I want to do with my life.

Benedict Arnold

I have a confession.

I'm a traitor. I have grown up in Brentwood, still live in Brentwood, and even work for a Brentwood-based business. But I love Franklin.

This is a big deal. Considering that these two cities are very different, the people who are respectively from each city hold their home dear in their hearts. Loyalties run deep in everyone, except me.

Brentwood is great. Don't get me wrong. But whenever I tell someone I live in Brentwood, they immediately roll their eyes, or ask if I live in a mansion. No, we live in the Brentwood slums or low-rent district, I laugh. We jokingly call it "The Bubble" because not too much happens here. It's a wonderful place to grow up in. But my main complaint is that Brentwood does not feel like a town. There's no town center. We don't have any festivals. All in all, Brentwood is kind of boring.

Then, just a few miles south, is Franklin. I help with band at Franklin High (although how I got that job is unrelated to my love for the city). I drive through Franklin at least once a week on work-related errands, and every time that I drive through the downtown square and past the historic homes, I fall in love all over again. There are sidewalks in front of beautiful homes that have porches. There is a town square. People park and walk around downtown Franklin purely for fun. But the real reason I love Franklin is that it doesn't have the bubble feel that Brentwood does. It's got a grittiness about it. There are not-so-nicer parts of town, and Franklin people are not ashamed of this.

So there it is - a secret close to my heart. I drive by the houses for sale with a dream of living there, walking my dog on the sidewalks, going downtown to eat on a nice evening.

Maybe it's not too late for Brentwood to learn a few things from its southern neighbor. Then two places would have my heart.