My first thought regarding a master’s degree was, “I’ll study to become a counselor”. I made an appointment with Western’s counseling department, and the dean of the school interviewed me. It was, without a doubt, my worst interview ever. When he asked why I wanted to get into counseling I said, “I like talking to people and I think I offer good advice.” Pretty lame. I didn’t get accepted. I think that was best for everyone. The dean made a good decision.
I taught for a couple of years before I actually started to take classes towards a master’s degree. A master’s degree meant I’d have to take out a student loan. I was newly married, so borrowing money meant the two of us were going to be in debt. We decided it was the right path. Once I earned my degree, our income would increase.
I’d take classes part time and I anticipated it would take two or three years. Once I started, Ruth decided she should earn hers too. She wanted to “get it done”, so she took a leave of absence, which meant living on one salary. That was a big decision, but we made it work.
I taught adult education during the evenings of my first year of teaching. I also ran Sunday evening recreation programs for the Kalamazoo Public Schools during my first couple of years. I got the adult ed job because of a girl who lived in my apartment building. Her dad ran the adult ed program and he needed an English teacher. I didn’t have to apply, just show up.
I got a recreation job from one of my fraternity brothers. Craig never taught, but he became Kalamazoo’s recreation director right out of college. He hired me because of our fraternity ties. Both of those positions were part of Kalamazoo’s community education program, so I considered community education as a course of study.
My then building principal, Burton Cave, suggested I attend Eastern Michigan. He said that having a perspective from a different university would broaden my experience and look good on a resume’ when it came time to apply for jobs. I think the real reason he suggested Eastern was because he was enrolled there, and he wanted someone to share the drive. In any case, I applied, was accepted and earned my master’s that way. He suggested, but I did the deciding. It was, after all, my career we were discussing.
We talked about education during our drives from Kalamazoo to Ypsilanti. I gained some insight into the role of principal, and he occasionally sought my advice from a teacher’s point of view. We picked each other’s brains.
During one term I sat with him during the interview of three prospective assistant principals. We went to class early and held dinner interviews. We conducted one a week for three weeks. I got three free dinners and a new experience. I had the opportunity to ask a couple questions of my potential new boss. Burton asked for my reaction to each interview during the drive home. He wanted me to help him decide who he should hire. Big decision.
I taught for eight years and started to apply for principal positions during the summer following my seventh. I interviewed for a couple but didn’t land either. The following summer I applied for one or two and nothing happened. One day, it was a Saturday or Sunday, I got a call from out of the blue. A former Plainwell teacher was the superintendent of the Addison Community Schools. He explained that he heard I was interested in getting into school administration. He had a job. Would I like to interview for it? I would.
All of the other jobs I’d applied for were on the west side of the State. Close to Plainwell. It felt comfortable. The Addison opportunity meant we’d very definitely have to move. With two young children, and no job for Ruth, we’d be living on one salary again. Another big decision.
TBC