Tuesday, May 17, 2005

From the Desk of Pile--Not Satire

Have you ever found yourself employed as part of an overcrowded staff, surrounded by some heavy hitters nowhere near retirement? Sure you might be doing okay, holding your own but there doesn't seem to be any room to grow, in an industry that has shown ten straight years of decline. And to top it off you really don't get any satisfaction from the job, and it doesn't feel like what you were meant to do?

Well I have. So I have decided to go where I am most needed. The Larry Summers fiasco earlier in the year taught me that young people, especially young girls need to be inspired to pursue careers in science. So I asked myself, who better to inspire young minds than you Pile? Well, probably someone, but they are likely doing other things. So I continued to ask myself, Pile, why don't you use your degree in an applied biological science from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for good rather than using it for nothing?

So, effective June 3rd I am resigning my current position and entering a summer program to fast track teacher certification. I just found out on Saturday that I can take an exam this coming Saturday to test my competency in the area I am seeking certification, Life Sciences. It is short notice, and I have been out of school for over thirteen years but what the heck, I can take it again in July if I fail and I haven't found the multiple choice test yet whose ass I couldn't kick. If I pass it, it will make the business of finding a position in the fall much easier.

So, I am going to take a pay cut and go into the belly of the beast. Why should we cede these positions to those on the left?

The beginning teacher should understand the historical developments of science, key events in the history of science, and the contributions that diverse cultures and individuals of both genders have made to scientific knowledge.

Oh, I do, I do. Gregor Mendel was a Navajo medicine woman.