Long Overdue...

Greetings friends!

This post I am about to type is bittersweet. I have many feelings about where my life is taking me, all of them positive, some of them sprinkled with anxiety and fear. Some are mixed with sadness. But, the overarching feeling about this topic is: relief.

Okay, so let's get to it…

I am leaving teaching.

Sort of.

After an incredibly stressful, draining, and unsuccessful year of teaching, I am leaving the classroom to pursue my passion of behavior analysis. This is a logical transition for me, as I completed my Masters in Behavior Analysis last May, and am taking the BACB exam in 2 weeks (!). After a year of stress and anxiety, I realize that the classroom isn't the right environment for me. And that's okay! My interests in teaching are NOT about meetings, classroom management, scheduling specials and field trips, teacher evaluations. What I miss most about teaching this year is having the time to teach and see that what I am teaching is making a difference in my students' lives. I want to find that again…

I know what you are thinking…how is moving to becoming a BCBA going to allow you to teach? Well, the beauty about behavior analysis, is that it is ALL about teaching. I will be developing programs to teach any variety of skills, from academic skills, to life skills, to behavior skills. And the best part is, each and every skill being trained is meaningful to the individual. Shocking concept, right?

I do not have a job yet…I am looking. But I do know that I am not staying in my position again next year, and have not been looking for jobs in the traditional teaching sense. My job search is saved as "BCBA" on my go-to websites. When I'm not applying for behavior analysis jobs, I am studying for the exam. Proof: 

Note the YouTube video on Standard Celeration Charts, the Ethics manual, BACB Task List, and endless study guides and flash cards!

Don't worry. I will keep you posted only progress. And don't worry. This doesn't mean this blog, or my TPT store will become obsolete. Quite the contrary! I think this new experience will add a new voice to the teaching blogging community (much like Chris' blog does!), as well as provide helpful products for a variety of populations with my skills in ABA (again, enter Chris). Just another reason to add to the list of good feelings about this big change :)