One of my favorite teaching positions ever was at a boarding school in Massachusetts. It was specifically for boys with learning, behavioral, or emotional problems. Some of these kids had been kicked out of every school they'd ever attended. Others were there just to help master certain learning disabilities. These boys were challenging, but they were so much fun. We only had about 60 or so boys while I was there, from as young as 11 years to as old as 18. There was never a dull moment.

My classes had an average of five or so. I had one with as few as three (my basic English class) and one with as many as eight (my Algebra class). The class sizes were so wonderful. I would go back to teaching in a heartbeat if I could be guaranteed classes of these sizes. Also, there was very little parent interaction, which, believe it or not, was so much better than I expected. We didn't have to worry about parents following through with punishments handed out in class or making sure homework got done. We had night staff for that. All of my boys did amazingly well because of this whole set up (well, except for two - one was removed for some reason I can't remember, and another turned out to be schizophrenic and needed much more help than I or anyone else at the school could provide).

The Fenster School is certainly one to consider when looking for boarding schools for teens. They're located in Tuscon, Arizona, and are for troubled teens, just as the school where I taught. The only difference at the Fenster School and the school where I taught is the gender of students. My school was for boys only and the Fenster School accepts both boys and girls.

I've considered going back to school several times to enhance my current degree (BS in Secondary English Education) to make myself more marketable when I finally reenter the workforce. I haven't actually taught since 2000 when I left Massachusetts. Granted, I've used the degree to obtain other jobs and have actually worked as a trainer here and there during these jobs, but I think it would be nice to have something else to boost that degree.

Because I don't think I have the time to drive to class and sit in a classroom and all that fun jazz, I keep thinking online classes might be the way to go. I know a few people who are taking classes through an online university, but am not sure I have the self-discipline for it.

Of course, I still have a lot of thinking to do about this. I don't have any idea what I want to be when I grow up.

Over the years I have toyed with the possibility of going through Microsoft certification training. I don't know if that's something I still want to do or not. There are so many computer related things I want to learn. I'm dying to learn HTML (more than what I know now, which isn't much) and CSS. I would love to take Photoshop classes as well. I used to want to get my A+ certification, but again, I'm not so sure now. I think if I were to get certification, though, I would want to go for Oracle training. I know there are plenty of careers I could have if I would just take the time to get the training I need, careers I would enjoy.

I'll continue to think about these ideas. They go around and around in my head. Some day I'll be able to decide what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe.

I really wish I had a tool like AnyCollege to help me find college information when I was in high school. I remember pouring over pamphlets and brochures for hours and hours, just to wind up going to the community college for two years before finally deciding on a school in Minnesota. I don't think I made the most informed decisions, but the community college provided a good education (and was free tuition), and the experience in Minnesota was very... interesting. I loved the fact that the school in Minnesota was a small school and that I knew nearly everyone on campus.

I vaguely recall wanting to go to Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti because they were supposed to have a good program for educators. My parents said EMU would be fine as long as I commuted. There was no way I was going to commute that far, so I decided to go to the community college across the street from our house. I wound up working there as a student worker making pretty decent money for doing nothing and filling in time between classes. I enjoyed most of my classes there, even classes I dreaded taking, so it turned out to be a very pleasant experience for me. I don't think the classes at the community college were any easier than the classes at any other college, but I really don't have a way to compare that, either.

Of course, because it could only provide me with an Associates Degree, I had to decide where I wanted to finish earning my Bachelor's Degree. Since AnyCollege didn't exist then either, I spent many more countless nights stressing over where to go, reading even more pamphlets and brochures. I was wanting to find something small, something far away from home to allow me different experiences. I'm still not sure I made the right choice, but it earned me a degree and I made some very good friends while attending the school. Besides, I don't think I'd ever have lived in Minnesota if I didn't go to school there, not for not wanting to, but for not having a reason to move there.

In any case, now that this entry is a lot more involved than I originally planned, I'm glad to see sites like AnyCollege now, since I know it will make Sophie's decision on which college to select much easier than mine was.