When I went off to college, I expected to move from studying literature as an undergrad on to doctoral coursework and into professorship. I loved Modernist literature and I was thrilled with the idea of lecturing and writing for a living.
Then, I began tutoring at the Penn State Writing Center. I love Penn State and, as much as it is a football school, it is also a strongly academic university. What I found in the Writing Center blew me away: I was tutoring students who could barely string together a sentence, let alone an entire essay. The students who came to me were there as a last resort, and it showed. They were not, however, dumb jocks or in remedial English courses, they were typical students; barely literate.
It was too late to change my major, but I realigned my goals. Instead of heading to a doctoral literature program, I moved to Los Angeles and just tried to survive. I graduated from Penn State in 2008 with a degree in English and a passion to shake things up.
I tried politics before I ever anticipated grad school. I canvassed and petitioned and …failed. I had no credibility outside of my limited tutoring experience. So, I took the next job that came around, waiting for my chance to shine.
In May of 2009, I was working as a receptionist for a television show. I disliked my job, but it paid well and I was good at it. I was able to accomplish a lot for my personal life on the side while working there (a spirited, but unsuccessful Teach for America application, for example) and I enjoyed having lots of isolated computer time. Despite the benefits, I was looking forward to the end of the season and a summer hiatus. My literacy ambitions were temporarily pushed to the side.
Unfortunately, personnel cuts forced me to begin looking for work shortly before I was due to return to the show. Though I worried about being unemployed, I had never cared for the attitude that I encountered in television and I was relieved to have been let go. However, I was pink-slipped right in the middle of the current economic downturn, way before any hope of recovery.
As I grew more desperate for employment, I finally found a job, amidst the phishers and scammers, on Craigslist. The job was posted in the education listings and my interview left me glowing. I got the job and was placed in the kindergarten classroom, a profound example of grace that has brought me many headaches, but much joy.
Outside of teaching, I am a newlywed just getting ready to celebrate three months of married life. My husband is a film editor and game designer who is constantly challenging me to create more fun and engaging lessons for my current and future students. As I begin my guided practice, I will no doubt lean on both my husband and my personal experiences to enrich my teaching.
To follow Amanda’s guided practice adventures, read her Tumblr blog at or follow her on Twitter at @psuklinkie.
Amanda is currently seeking her California teaching credential where she one day aspires to teach.
