A bit late but here are my goals for April 2023 to June 2023
Last summer I worked with kids. It was an after summer school program that lasted 6 weeks. It was my first time ever working with kids and I didn’t really know what to expect. In those 6 weeks, I realized that I definitely did not want to be a teacher. I respect teachers, but they are definitely underpaid and they are way more patient than I am.
When I went to university a few years ago, my goal was to become a history teacher. I love reading, learning, and talking about history and wanted to share my passion with others. I originally wanted to be a teacher for community college, but I would’ve needed a masters degree and my grades weren’t good enough for me to get that.
Not sure what I expected about working with kids, but I didn’t realize it was so hard. Kids can be unpredictable and there’s a fine line between being a pushover and way too strict. Summer time was a bit more fun because they had a little bit more freedom and it was less structured. I am glad i worked there because at least I found out teaching was not something for me and while I wouldn’t mind working with kids in the future, it wouldn’t be in a school setting.
After the 6 weeks were up, I had a few weeks off. I was going to continue working with the kids but at a different location. However, after only 3 days working there, I knew it wasn’t for me. The after school program was way too strict for me, I was assigned to the 5th graders when I had mentioned I would prefer younger students, and I was expected to teach them science. Im not an expert in science and I felt like I was expected to take my work home, which is something that wasn’t convenient for me since I am a single mom to a 4 year old. I was expected to do a lesson plan for the next 11 weeks. I had never done a lesson plan before this and had no idea how to do this. I only had 2 days and it had to be very detailed, including lessons I would teach and materials I would need. It was very hard to get any work done while taking care of my daughter.
I ended up quitting that job after only 3 days and was unemployed for about 2 months. I am now working in a job I enjoy and have been there almost 6 months.
Here’s how I did with my goals last month!
Here are some goals I’m setting for this month. Trying to keep it easy
I didn’t use Instagram or TikTok for 30 days. Giving up TikTok was easy, but I definitely missed Instagram. I’m so used to posting everything there. Anytime I went somewhere, I reached for my phone and was ready to post a picture until I remembered that I had deleted the app.
I decided to take a break because I felt like I was wasting my time using these two apps. It was hard at first. Some people can handle having the apps on their phones and resist using them, but I knew I needed to deleted them completely from my phone.
Once my 30 days were up, I installed both again. However, within 2 days, I deleted the TikTok app because I could see it was just a waste of time for me. That was 2 weeks ago and I honestly don’t miss it at all. I did keep Instagram and do use it, but not as often as before. I’ll go on for about 5-10 minutes and then find other things to do.
When I first gave up both of these apps, I turned to YouTube and noticed I was spending way too much time on YouTube and playing games. It’s hard to find screen free things to do especially with the crazy weather we had last month in California. We had so many cold and rainy days, all I wanted to do was stay inside and be on my phone or tablet. Now that the weather is getting better, I plan to spend more time outside, whether it’s going for a hike, walk, run, or taking my daughter to the park.
I feel like I can still improve my screen time and phone usage. I am not where I want to be yet, but I am getting better and better at it.
90s California Runner Mom 