Being a Teacher – Being Myself

17 Jan Being a Teacher – Being Myself

I have been a teacher for many years. This past year, my husband and I moved to the county of Oxfordshire inEngland, so I started looking for a new teaching position. I landed an interview with a prestigious school, and was surprised to find that despite my years of experience, I was super nervous about it. I even had a dream in which I was co-teaching a lesson with another teacher and I was doing badly in comparison. 

The Saturday before my interview, I talked about my nervousness with Ariel and Shya at a Living Made Easy seminar. I shared everything: my nervousness, my dreams, and all of my self-defeating thoughts. The Kanes said, “If you are comparing yourself to others, you are not able to fully express yourself. In this case, you’re not able to be an effective teacher because no two things can occupy me at the same time.” I saw that I could either put my attention on the students and teach, or have attention on myself, but not both. I was so appreciative of these insights. After that seminar, I also received a sweet email from one of the participants, Dagmar, an English teacher in Germany, who encouraged me to be myself.

The following Monday I went to the school, ready to interview and teach.  It was the most fun I have ever had at an interview in my life! The sample lesson I presented was enjoyable to teach, the students were a delight and I felt no sense of nervousness in the 4 separate interviews I had throughout the day. I simply felt at ease to be myself. I spoke my truth in the moment rather than say what I thought my potential employers wanted to hear. It was so refreshing not to have to second-guess myself but simply look within to see my truth. 

At one point, they asked me, “Where do you see yourself in five year’s time?” I really didn’t have an answer for that. I paused and looked at what was true for me and said, “My life is a moment-to-moment unfolding and I don’t have a five-year plan.” In the moment of expressing this truth, it hit me that letting life unfold was no longer simply a concept for me – it was a reality. At the start of the year, I had no idea my husband Laurence and I would be moving back to Oxfordshire; three weeks before the interview, I had no idea I would be applying for this job. All of it had been a natural consequence of being where I am.

I am happy to say, I was offered the job and accepted it without hesitation.  Working in this school as a teacher is truly delightful. Yet, while I was waiting to hear back from the school about whether I got the job, I realized something: it didn’t matter if they said yes or no. What has stayed with me, even now, is the possibility of having fun at an interview, or any experience I would previously label as “stressful,” and discovering that being myself is enough. 

I am clear that this experience could not have been possible without Transformation and this community. I thank everyone for their support and love. I send it right back along with this reality: Being Yourself is Enough.