The jig is up!

You know that feeling in high school when you think people are talking about you and you're not really sure if you're just being paranoid and then you realize you aren't paranoid because they actually are? Yup, that's my world at the moment. 

I knew at some point this was going to happen but I wasn't really prepared for when it did. I'm a high school teacher. I live in the town in which I teach. We live in an age where you can find anything with the power of the internet. Add in curiosity (or we could call it nosiness) and it's just a matter of time before the walls of privacy come down. 

So was I prepared for it? Nope. 

Am I letting the giggling and snarkiness get to me? Nope.

I had a chance to think about it a little bit last night and I realized this: What does it matter? Why should I care? I'm healthy, fit, pretty confident with where I'm at in life and I love both of my jobs. I can't really ask for more than that. 

I always knew I wanted to be a high school teacher. I was that kid who knew from a young age that I wanted to teach. It took my family a little longer to get on board for that (hence the history, sociology, social work and business majors in college) but once they did get it, I was so glad because none of those other majors caught my interest in quite the same way. 

When I envisioned becoming a teacher, I never thought this “job” as a coach existed but as a former high school rowing coach, teacher and former high school and college athlete, it's beyond up my alley. At first when I signed on as a coach, it was with the idea that it’d be nice if I could supplement my income and earn enough money to cover my own workout programs and daily Shakeology. I was also interested in being a support for people around me in the same way that my coach, Melanie, has been for me. 

What I quickly discovered that coaching was so much more. Coaching is about helping people. The same struggles I had in getting started, sticking with a program, really figuring out how to make this a lifestyle and not a diet, and losing weight are all struggles that I share with others. Now, not only am I covering the cost of my products and then some, but more importantly, I’m supporting my friends and family in changing their lives for the better. There is nothing about this job that is not completely rewarding.

With coaching, I can see the changes in my friends/challengers. They appreciate the support and I can see and feel that appreciation on a daily basis which just motivates me to want to help all the more. Think about it - how often do you get feedback from friends or peers that without your support, they would not be where they're at? We just don't often give people that kind of positive feedback. A former student told me this just the other day and it was so awesome to hear but also so rare. I think I can count on one hand the number of conversations I've had like that in my 14 years of teaching. I don't think it's that I'm not having an impact, but rather that we don't really think to tell people how they make us feel or how thankful we are for them. This is true of our teachers, our friends and even our family. 

I like to think that I am helping my students with more than learning history. At the end of the day, the history that I teach is pretty much my last concern. Don't get me wrong, I love the subject I teach but I'm also pretty confident most of them won't remember the specifics of the topics covered in class and I don't really mind. I'd much rather that they leave my class having found some of the material we discussed interesting and relevant to their lives and even more than that, I hope that they know that I care much more about their well-being than their grades or interest in my class. I'm probably one of the few people who is genuinely sad when the school year ends each summer because I am sad to see these people with whom I've formed relationships go.

Coaching for me is not unlike teaching. I can teach someone how to meal plan. I can give you some healthier options for the afternoons when you tend to eat everything in sight. I can even help you find a workout that suits you and text you to get your butt out of bed to push play at 5am. I can do it and do do it. But at the end of the day, what I hope that my challengers get out of the experience is the confidence in themselves to know that I support them no matter what. I'm always game to meet up to celebrate the 15 lbs. lost over a 60 day group and I'm also just as happy to commiserate about a crazy work schedule that's derailed all of their progress and lend an ear and do some problem-solving when they fall off of the wagon and are ready to get back on. 

This is why I'm not going to let myself feel embarrassed about what I'm doing. This is why I'm choosing to ignore the snickers in the hallway.

So what do I have to say to my students who are doing a little snooping into their teacher's life outside of school hours? 

You found me. Read up if you want and instead of giggling, let's talk. Oh, and feel free to reach out when you graduate and are struggling with the freshman 15. I'll be here! ;)