Thinking Out Loud: Jobs I Had

Thank you to Amanda @ Running With Spoons for this Thinking Out Loud link up! Today is all about... jobs!

This post ended up being longer than anticipated...

Oh well, I hope you enjoy a little history of all the different types of jobs I have had!

Baby-Sitter

When I was a kid, I loved reading The Baby-Sitter’s Club series. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to baby-sit. I actually usually didn’t mind baby-sitting because it was easy money. When I did mind it, it was because I would get bored or would have to get up early to do it. There were a few terrors I sat for, who shall remain nameless… But I have had a kid run away while I was baby-sitting and another kid chuck pencils at me. Yeah, those were good times...

Grocery Store Cashier

I loved working at grocery stores! I worked at a tiny one in my hometown, and then one summer during college, I cashiered at Giant. I am fast, organized, and friendly, so I was a good worker. I loved "dinging" the stuff through the scanner and I loved organizing my coupons. I know it is weird, but other than teaching, it was my favorite job!

Waitress

I worked at a restaurant as a waitress for about two weeks one summer. I hated it because I had no clue what I was doing. I was only 16 and had zero serving experience. Not only that, but I was barely trained. I had no clue how to work the computer or anything. I screwed up so many people’s orders. I’d serve them tuna salads instead of tuna subs. It was just a nightmare. I have never served again. (And yes, I am an awesome tipper!)

Choreographer

When I was a kid, I loved to make up dances! I would do it all the time with my friends. Turns out, I never grew out of it. I was still making up dances with my friends when I was in high school. In fact, if one of my friends approached me today and said, "Hey Megan, wanna make up a dance?" I'd be like, "Uh, YES I WANT TO MAKE UP A DANCE!"

My first official time doing choreography was our high school's production of Anything Goes. No, I am not a tap dancer, but I went to a really small high school where NO ONE could tap dance. I was savvy enough to make up a couple easy moves that anyone could do. During and after college, I started doing choreography for community theaters and also for the high school of the school district I worked in. I also performed in most of the shows I choreographed (but not all).

Some of the shows I choreographed: Anything Goes, The Music Man, The Wizard of Oz, Guys and Dolls, Footloose, The Will Rogers Follies, Damn Yankees, Beehive, Pirates of Penzance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 

Substitute Teacher

My first job out of college was substitute teaching. I remember my very first placement- a 2^nd grade classroom. During student teaching, the youngest I taught was 5^th grade, so these 2^nd graders looked like three-year-olds to me. I had no clue what I was doing and the classroom teacher left me horrible plans. “8:00-8:30 am = Opening Activities,” her lesson plans read. How was I to know what the opening activities were? Never fear. The second graders knew. They ran the classroom that day. I would just tell them what was next and they knew what to do. It was amazing to me. Now that I have actually worked at an elementary school for almost 10 years, 2^nd graders don’t seem very young to me- and I totally get how they’d be able to run their classroom themselves if they needed to!

8th Grade English Teacher

After graduating from college and subbing for awhile, I accepted a long-term subbing position for 8^th grade English. I didn’t have an English degree, but since the school was desperate, I got emergency certified in English and that sufficed.

I can tell you a few things about this experience…

1.    The pay was AWESOME. I was getting a first year’s teacher salary without all the insurance and retirement stuff taken out of it. In other words, my pay check was the same then as it is now- after 9 years of teaching. (Isn't that depressing!?)

2.    I really, really enjoyed teaching middle schoolers. I think it was because I could just talk to them like normal people and be sarcastic. It helped that it was a nice school with good kids.

3.    When we took the 8^th graders on a field trip to the state museum, our tour guide thought I was one of the students. (I looked reaaaally young when I was 22.)

4.    I had no clue what I was doing, but I didn’t know I didn’t know what I was doing, so I didn’t stress about it.

5.    At the end of the year talent show, I organized a group of teachers to dress up like the Spice Girls. I was Scary Spice. We lip synced and did a dance I choreographed to “If Ya Wanna Be My Lover”. A good friend of mine is now the guidance counselor at that school and apparently, 10 years later, that performance is still legendary and is stalked about among the student and staff. I must have left my mark! (Not as a teacher, but as a performer!)

Piano Teacher

I have been teaching private piano lessons ever since graduating from college. Boy have I learned a lot over the course of running my own little side business. I could tell you loads of awesome stories about my students and even the parents, but I’ll just pick one. Years ago, I had a student who’s mother would stand right beside the piano during her daughter’s lesson. If her daughter would hit a wrong note, her mom would correct her, chuckle, or make some other noise equally inappropriate. It took one or two lessons of this for me to gently tell the mother that perhaps sitting on the couch would enable her daughter to focus more. Nowadays, I’d tell someone like that to sit down right away! I guess I was too nice back then.

Elementary Music Teacher

This is my current job- general music- K-4 and 4^th grade chorus at a public elementary school. I have been doing this going on 10 years now and as long as the education cuts don’t get so bad that they eliminate the arts from school, I plan to stay here for the rest of my career!

Personal Trainer

As of August, I have opened my own personal training business called Megan Michael Training. I don't have too many stories about this one as I am still sort of new to the business. But so far, I have really enjoyed helping people make fitness goals and work toward them!

What types of jobs have you had?

Any substitute teaching/baby-sitting/waitressing horror stories?