I recently had a conversation with a friend about this book she was reading called “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. Apparently it’s on Oprah’s Book Club list and it’s some seriously dense reading. One of the main points is that humans have a habit of living their lives in the past and future (feeding our ever-expanding egos) and neglecting to experience life in the present moment.

It really got me thinking. While it’s important to learn from the past and set goals for the future, many of us live each day dwelling in the past and worrying about the future. So often we take for granted the precious days that we have. We forget to live in the now.

However, I believe that I am a very present person. While I do tend to romanticize and idealize the past, I do also learn from it and move forward a stronger, more self-aware person. And concerning the future…well I’ve never been one to be big on plans. Short-term goals have brought me to where I am today due to indecision about my future. I can say with confidence though that every short-term goal that I’ve had, I’ve reached in some way. 

But I’m finding in these current days of unemployment and indecision that there are some bigger picture things I can see myself doing. It’s weird for me to think about my future self, because I’ve always been one to live in the now and I’ve never really known what it is that I want for my future. And despite Tolle’s criticism of humans putting too much pressure on their futures (which I do agree with), I am finding that it is important to have long-term future goals. 

I’ve been seeing job positions and even intern positions that ask for a 25 point qualification list. There was one I looked at today for a position as a Group Leader for high school students through a program called “The Experiment In International Living.” The application is 14 pages long! Needless to say, I’m not quite there yet but I want to be! 

I can envision myself doing these jobs and absolutely loving them. But first I need to gain the skills to be eligible. So that is what I am working on trying to find – a position at an organization that will build my skills and prepare me for the jobs I want to be eligible for. I don’t have experience working with high school kids and who knows if I’d even enjoy it, but it’s something I want to at least try right now.

Tuesday I have a phone interview with Harlem Success Academy Charter School. I applied a little over 3 weeks ago for a couple different positions – Assistant Teacher and Educational Assistant. I would be working with little ones again, probably kindergarten or first grade. I’m thrilled that they picked me for an interview and I’m anxious and eager to learn more about the two positions. But I have to admit that I’m a little apprehensive. While I know I’d make a great teacher, I want to be sure that whichever position I choose, it’s in accordance with my own personal views on education. 

My views on education are radically different than the way most schools conduct their curriculum. To me education is all about experience and hands-on learning. This is the best way that I learn and I want to be in an environment that follows that same learning style. All of my favorite classes growing up involved group think and group discussions. The teacher invited the class to participate in discussion rather than lecture about subject matter. The classes that were taught through a wash, rinse, repeat method are the ones I vaguely remember. I want to be challenged to think on my own, come up with my own answers, and voice my own opinion. And I want to be able to give others that opportunity to do the same. This is why I wonder if I’d be better off working with older kids. 

Luckily New York City has a plethora of schooling options for the kids that live here. Everything from technology to the arts to politics to becoming a global citizen. There really is a school for everything and everyone. I just need to feel confident in my choices from here on out. I’m only getting older and I want to love what I do by the time I’m 30. 

I still think it’s important to live in the present, but now I need to focus my short-term goals into the needed experience to achieve my long-term goals.

Advertisement