5. 6. 7. 8..

As a just a wee little high school student, my work was spent in a completely different field than the one I pursue for my career. I was a dance teacher. Yes, my weeknights were spent yelling at little kids to point their toes and straighten their legs, rather than checking on the doneness of baked goods. It worked for the time and it was something I was interested in, short-term. It was at this job that I learned how to never manage or lead people from my supervisors.

I was termed “assistant teacher” and had an older teacher with me. They always trusted me and let me start class alone while they got themselves together. I enjoyed the time alone with the kids because I knew it meant I had gained trust from some of the best performing arts teachers I had ever worked with. The kindergarteners loved me and I loved them. They wanted nothing but praise for their half-pirouette or new neon leg warmers. The 7^th graders, on the other hand, felt that talking about which boy lent them a pencil in school that day was more important than my stretch routine. This frustrated me slightly, but I knew the teacher would be in sooner or later to yell at them to focus. Being someone who can be termed “vertically challenged”, I had a little bit of a rougher time with the students who were in middle school. Seeing as some of them looked down to speak to me, I understood how they undermined my authority. However, when it came down to it, despite the height challenges I came across, I knew that I had much more years of experience and was capable of doing the job.

It wasn’t until I was left on my own that I was truly out of my wits as to what to do. I was only seventeen and, in a pinch, I was asked to fill in for an absent teacher. I did it because it was an emergency, but I was never supposed to be left alone for two hours with thirty twelve-year olds. Not only was it not in my job description, but also I was not fit to be a minor supervising other minors. After the first time it happened, I started seeing a trend that at least once a week I taught a class by myself. Though I did love the responsibilities, it was like I was given a promotion without the raise and with a harder shift. I was being used because I was capable but without getting personal benefits. It was as if I was given a supervisor role, but without the title.

This job made me a stronger person and worker. It showed me patience, strength and commitment. It also showed me that I should never push jobs onto someone who shouldn’t have them. I will never give people a job that I, as an owner or manager, could take on myself. I will also never take advantage of workers even if they might be technically capable.