No, I'm not a biological mother. I have about 21 kids, just this semester... and they make me question attempting real motherhood EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Really, though, my kids are remarkable. Unique. Stubborn. Altogether, driven. These details about their little souls became very relevant this week as we took on resume building and cover letter creation. Apparently, it is NOT cool to enjoy using a thesaurus..who knew? What really struck me about their personalities through this process was their fear of being perceived as ill-equipped.

I had one youngin' making calls to a company he truly wants to work for to ensure he was researching the right education and information pertaining to that position. I mean they cared.

This was odd to me. Typically, working with young people..they know they're not the most qualified for a position, definitely not the most experienced person up for grabs. This almost creates an apathy for them to even pursue researching about employment. But my kids were truly concerned about their word choice and the overall vibe they were giving off in their paperwork.

"Read this, does it sound right?"

"How do you say 'I want this job' and make it sound professional?"

"Who do I even address this to?"

I don't think I've ever enjoyed a class session so much. I thoroughly enjoyed helping my kids feel confident and hopeful about themselves in this changing world. Helping them understand that first impressions on paper truly matter! Those resumes and cover letters need to jump out at these employers because my kids' beautiful faces won't be there representing them!
This is where we cue the insult.

As I tell my kids, "You have to be the most attractive applicant on paper, because you don't get to make your first impression in person...you don't get to be cute and bubbly to win your spot for an interview..", I receive the response "yeah, you're kinda mean and bubbly Mrs. Weathington."
Thanks.
Kids say the darnedest things right? Seriously. No filter.

I spent the next two days self reflecting on exactly how mean and bubbly I am. That's really how my kids receive me? Is this horrible, or is this just my teaching style? Well, I decided to choose the latter and own it. I ended the week strong with clear descriptions of adjectives that win the memory of a potential employer and how to highlight skills from even the smallest of jobs. Essentially, I chose to accept the reality that if I don't toughen up my kids, who will? Do I just sit back and wait for them to have their feelings hurt from someone later in life...and it potentially being much more detrimental to their endeavors? No. I do not. I tell them now, I choose to be honest with them. I choose to sharpen them. Prepare them. And of course tell them how proud I am of them.

My name is Reva Weathington and I teach. I am mean and bubbly.

stay green

-rjw