My Job

My job is strange. I teach elementary and middle school children in a non-profit organization's after-school programme. That's not weird. What's weird is that I hate it until I show up. I've had a number of jobs before, probably about a third of which that I have to convince myself consist of tolerable amounts of physical labour, JUST to get myself to show up. Of course, this doesn't always work. With this job, it kind of works the opposite way . . .

I'm on my third month of working and I haven't been paid yet. It's especially frustrating because my wife and I are in a sizeable amount of credit card debt. The sooner I get paid, the less interest will accumulate. Perhaps you can imagine what sort of effect that has on our budget. When it gets closer and closer to the time I need to leave for work, I get more and more frustrated with my boss.

Another thing most people don't realize, is that this programme is only for children who aren't doing well in school. While it isn't necessarily fair to say that all children doing poorly in school are problem children, one could easily make that deduction from the select individuals I deal with. I wake up and spend hours putting together a lesson plan, but in the end, I know somebody will be throwing a tantrum (more than likely an elementary school child).

There have been times when quitting has crossed my mind, especially due to the fact that I would get to stay home and quit working so hard and I would still be getting paid the same amount. I just can't afford to be working for free right now, and yet . . . something keeps me from quitting. Something happens to my brain on the way to work, or maybe it happens AT work, but I just feel like my job is too important to quit. I'm not entirely certain if that means important to ME or important to SOME KIDS, or what. Also, I really don't like the idea of looking for work again. Those are always depressing times and I always hate them a lot. Right now, I think I like my job, but only when I'm doing it.

I've even headed to work with the intention of making a big deal over not being paid yet. I planned to go in and set my foot down. I was going to tell it to them like it was because this is the real world and you can't just NOT PAY your employees. These people aren't my friends, they're my employers . . . but then . . . I go in and say "Any progress on getting paid any time soon?" and they say "We just moved some money around in such a way that will make you feel like we're getting closer, but we still aren't going to pay you." and to that I say "Great. I'll get back to work."

I don't understand, but I guess I don't need to. There was a while when Toni was a little upset with me for not making it as big of a deal to them as I should have been, but I think we're past that now. Last time they actually gave me a date by when I should expect my paycheck, it just . . . isn't for two weeks still.

Also, there's a guy who sounds and teaches as if he were Bill Cosby.