In a galaxy, not so far away, is a parallel universe that resembles a dark chasm filled with despair and tears of fellow candidates, resides the soul of an unnamed NBCT candidate who wakes at 4:23 in the morning with thoughts of documents not loading, panic and fear that your password isn't working and you forgot to write it down, jumbled dreams of Student A and Student B and their labels not matching their work as identified in Component two on pages 3, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, and 17. Then the piercing pain that sears through the depths of your soul as you realize you don't have a page 13 ... or 15... OR 17 because the dark lords of righteous planet known to us peons as NBCT have said you can have no more than 12. "NO MORE THAN 12!" you hear in a raspy voice filled with hatred and mocking laughter. "No more than 12 you simpleton. And you say you're a teacher? Ha! Edit that! Condense! make anew!" The dark lords laugh in your face as they assign your component to be read by an unknown minion who takes up residence on her lounge chair surrounded by her 14 cats and piles of bodice ripper trashy dime novels. Amongst her life's disappointments and shattered dreams she wields her sword, ready, whose aim is true and sharp as it cuts a wide swath of disappointment and travesties through the NBCT Candidate population.
Then you wake and realize it is simply a dream. But as you dress for your day of battle, look in the mirror and contemplate the value of the perfectly arched eye brow or penciled lip liner when you have had less than four hours sleep, and what little sleep you had is filled with the hauntings of NBCT, you drive to your classroom as the sane world sleeps and again ask yourself, "Is it worth it? Will I be one of "those people" who add more initials behind their name on their email signature line, yet again the question of "WHY AM I HERE" crosses your brain. And the realization hits. This whole process may not be "worth it". But when you are at the top of your profession, when you have success after success after success, you are not in this for the lengthy acronym behind your name. You're not in this for bragging rights. And let's face it, you're not even in this for the extra point you'll get on the hiring matrix hoping it saves your carcass during the next rift and transfer season. You're in it for the excuses it gives you to go to Starbucks 13 times a week. Because after all, isn't that why we are all here?
Note--the author of this blog post did not want to be named, but did agree to allow me to post it for your validation! :-) J.
Note--the author of this blog post did not want to be named, but did agree to allow me to post it for your validation! :-) J.
