Wellness and your occupation…
When this picture was taken I was living in a small college town called Mayville, ND. At the time I was ten years old and I was about to take my very first job. I would be delivering the Grand Forks Herald on the Mayville State campus. I would walk the whole route and I continued delivering papers until I was almost done with high school.
I learned how to work hard when I was very young and I also decided my course in life at a relatively young age. I was a fighter from the time I started school. I will not go into the reasons for having that kind of temper, I did have a temper for sure. When I was in seventh grade I was in a fight with two boys behind the high school building. A man who I now greatly respect came and grabbed me by the back of the neck and took me down to the elementary building and introduced me to the head custodian. I was told that when I finished my paper route each day from now on I would report to the elementary to help clean the elementary. The man was Tom McGauley. He was a teacher and a coach. From grade 7 until I graduated from high school, Mr. McGauley watched over my shoulder and kept me on the right path. He gave me a book that I have read many times since 1965 when he gave me the book, “Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill” I wanted to become a teacher. Like my father, I had a great interest in science and I also wanted to be a football coach and wrestling coach.
My father really wanted me to get a good science background and eventually go into medicine in some way or possibly research. His reasoning was I would make much more money and probably be much happier. He kept putting that before me for a number of years even after I graduated from college.
I became a science teacher and coach and did that for many years before moving on to being a high school principal and then at the end of my education career a superintendent.
Why the Topic Of Occupational Wellness?
When you are looking to develop a healthy outlook on life it is extremely important that you are looking at where you are and what got you there. I know how I got to where I am at today and I know where I will be going tomorrow. I was very fortunate that I truly found my purpose in life. I absolutely loved doing what I did as a teacher and a coach. I also liked being a high school principal. Being a superintendent was really good at times, however, at the very end, it was not very much fun for a number of different reasons. I may speak to that at another time.
I found a career I was passionate about and it aligned with my personal interests and values. I enjoyed the people I was working with and the students I interacted with on a daily basis. I was actively involved with growing myself both personally and professionally by attending conferences and having great professional relationships in my life. I gained skills as I did my work by
The fall down of public education is they do not pay teachers anywhere what they are worth. So financial security really was not there. I accepted it since it was the experience I had as a child. I knew the cost of being in a family with a teacher. There are many other things that might be said at this point. Financial security I found by having at least two other jobs that helped support my family. So where are you with the idea of Occupational Wellness.
