It's Back To The Books Tomorrow
[January 8th] -- I haven't worked since shortly after the 9/11 attack. Oh, I haven't been sick or anything. It's been by design. I had been pondering a return to school for several months prior to the September 11th tragedy, and I guess the attacks made me realize how fleeting life is. I decided to follow my dream before I joined the list of those who died having not enjoyed life to its fullest.
I have been attending Idaho State University since January 2002. It's been a great experience. Unlike many colleges and universities today, there is no liberal bias here on the Pocatello campus. Oh sure, the great majority of my professors are liberals right out of the '60s, and they enjoy rattling the cages of their mostly conservative, Republican students (hey, this is Idaho remember). But these professors allow for differing views. They judge the students on their ability and not their politics. I have enjoyed hearing from the "other side" in a forum other than "screech radio."
I should have graduated this spring, but my daughter's death two years ago forced me into a dark place that took me too long to break out of. I've lost two full semesters sitting at my desk and staring out the window, allowing at first hours, then days, and finally weeks to pass without regaining consciousness. I'm better now, however, and I'm ready to rejoin the real world.
I'm going to be a high school history teacher, something I've always wanted to do but was constantly talked out of by both family and friends. I'll begin my teaching career at the age of 50, earning the grand sum of $27,500 per year. I haven't earned under $30,000 a year since the mid 1980's. But you know, money means nothing. There were times I was making $60,000 + per year, and would wake up at 4:00 in the morning in a cold sweat, unable to handle the idea of going to work that day. I'll be poor, but I'll be happy.
So, tomorrow I have a math and an economics class. I hate math and I despise economics. And I can't wait to get started.
