Thoughts on Quitting Innkeeping and Going Back to Teaching

**David Chin** · 09-02-2006, 02:32 AM

After having pursued a culinary degree in French cuisine and having owned and operated a B&B inn for three years, I'm ready to return to teaching.

My initial plan was to get re-certified for Pennsylvania. All I really need to do is to take the Praxis I and Praxis II test. My thought was that if I could find a job in the local area, I could teach throughout the school year and run the B&B Inn during the summer.

Last night I abruptly woke up in the middle of the night and wondered what the heck I was doing.

I don't want to be an innkeeper anymore. I've had quite enough of customer service ... guests putting my hand stitched cloth napkins on their dirty breakfast plates smeared with ketchup ... guests banging on the door to the owner's suite well after hours because don't know how to operate the DVD in their room despite the presence of simple written directions ... prospective guests from Baltimore (which is the same time zone as Pennsylvania) calling AT THREE IN THE MORNING because they want to make a reservation for two months down the road ... (as a side note, I'd like to point out that I've had guests from Europe who call most politely during my hours of operation. It only seems to be east coast insomniacs who call me at three in the morning ...)

On top of that, I'm working harder than I've ever worked before. As an innkeeper, I'm open every day that we have guests. Last year I worked from Feb. 1 through December 31 with no days off. I typically work an 84 hour week, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It's a bit tiring ... especially since I'm also a volunteer firefighter as well as the chairperson of the local historical committee.

So fine ... I could close the inn and the inn could become a private residence but good gosh ... it has an owner's suite, 7 guest bedrooms with attached bathrooms, two kitchens, two dining rooms, a parlor, and a laundry room with three washing machines and three dryers.

This three story building is really much too big for a bachelor though I'm sure my cats would love it if I gave each cat his own bedroom - so I figure I should probably sell it and trade down for a smaller home.

But wait ... it then occured to me that if I'm taking the Praxis I and II, why do I necessarily need to pursue certification in Pennsylvania? I could go back to Texas where I already hold current certification ... but Texas is too hot and teacher salaries are too low. I could basically go wherever I wanted ... so I've hit on the idea of moving to Oregon.

I've always liked the Pacific Northwest and even though I'm not big on cities, I like Portland, Oregon just fine.

So my thought is this.

I'm putting my inn on the market. I'll continue operating it until it sells. In the meanwhile, I'll pursue teaching certification for Oregon. After the inn sells, I'll relocate to Portland. If the timing works out with the sale of the inn, I'll find a teaching job. If the timing doesn't work out, I'll work as a sub by day and can probably find a part-time restaurant job as well.

A teaching job is bound to eventually turn up in Portland. The Portland district is quite large.

Anyway - what do you think? Does this plan make any sense?

My father would laugh if he knew I was asking this question. When I got my bachelor's degree in 1982, I left Michigan to teach in in Texas. After rattling around in Texas (three districts in eight years), I relocated to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. After six years there, I moved to Ras Tanura Saudi Arabia. I then spent a year in Beriut but left after the Israeli Air Force bombed the city in June of 1999. I then spent a year in North Carolina, a year in Oregon, and a year in Houston. I was rattling around like a metal sphere in a pinball game. I finally opted out of education and went to a French culinary school. After graduating from the school, I bought a B&B inn in Pennsylvania ... and here I am ...

As to why I move around so much - I grew up in a service family. I learned to walk in Ghana. I went to kiindergarten and 1st grade in Atlanta, Georgia. I went to elementary school in Bangkok, Thailand, attended junior high in San Salvador, El Salvador, and attended high school in Arizona and Georgia.

It seems perfectly natural to me to move every few years ... though it's becoming more cumbersome to do this since I've accumulated furniture and knick knacks from around the world.

Anyway - sorry for the long rambling post. Does my idea about relocating to Oregon make any sense?

I tell you ... if I wasn't so attached to my cats, I'd probably be packing to go back overseas. ACS Beriut lost a lot of expat teachers following the recent conflict. I could probably get a job if I wanted ... put I have four cats and I'm even though I'm a bit eccentric, I'm not dragging four cats half way around the world.

David (formerly David of Houston)

**wag** · 09-02-2006, 03:16 AM

Makes sense to me as complicated as it sounds. LOL

**Bananas** · 09-02-2006, 12:21 PM

There is no sense in putting in so many hours when your heart is no longer in it.

My main thought is that there have been a lot of changes in teaching since the late 90's. Being certified and Highly Qualified (HQ) can be quite frustrating with the onset of NCLB.

I would submit my transcripts to Oregon's State Board of Education to evaluate for what is specifically needed to be certified to teach there, David. Each state has their own set of standards. Our good old state of Illinois has its own hurdles and hoops.

A word of caution. Hubby went the route you are considering. He subbed by day and worked in a restaurant part-time by night. He would get a call early in the morning, after having closed the night before. It is a tough schedule over the long haul.

BTW, what is it with 3 in the morning? That is when I wake up and remember that I need to call parent so-and-so, the name of that actor we were trying to name, etc. Only I know not to disturb others with my thoughts and answers at that hour of the morning, unless an email will suffice.

Good luck!

**TPFKACSW** · 09-02-2006, 03:48 PM

Inkeeping hell! I'm thinking about leaving education and going to something safer, like Zookeeping, Beekeeping, Sharkkeeping, you get the idea...............

NCLB you say Banannas? It's really NALB (No Administrator Left Behind).

Half satire, half serious, we are all probably destined to end up at Wal Mart. Judas Preist on a pony! They have everything else while they are destroying the economy - eye doctor, automotive, dentist, groceries............That's it! Wal Mart education! What a niche to make Wal Mart Nation complete! Since we all shop the same, let's educate the same! The Wal Mart "Education Department." In conjunction, establish Wal Mart social services, psychologist (and you can go to their pharmacy to fill your prescription of Zippidy Boom pills)............. the possibilities are endless!!!!

And think about it, if things get tight and you get RIFed, you can always pick up work as an "associate" in the department of your choice! (Built into the Wal Mart Teacher's Negotiated Contract). Dude, forget it - I get the greeter job!!!!

C (Sam Walton Jr.) Stan White

**Bananas** · 09-02-2006, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by C. Stan White

And think about it, if things get tight and you get RIFed, you can always pick up work as an "associate" in the department of your choice! (Built into the Wal Mart Teacher's Negotiated Contract). Dude, forget it - I get the greeter job!!!!

C (Sam Walton Jr.) Stan White

Gee, and I thought I had an original thought years ago about becoming a Walmart greeter to fall back upon. :wink:

**David Chin** · 09-02-2006, 06:15 PM

I forgot to mention that the alternative to moving to Oregon is to simply go ahead with recertification in Pennsylvania. If I found a job in the greater Harrisburg area, I'd be able to commute from the inn until it was sold. I'd then be able to buy a home and relocate without having to first find temporary accomodations.

I daresay that my cats would appreciate this. They hated it when I loaded them into my van and drove up here from Texas.

Surprisingly enough, 've already had a tentative offer on the inn even though it's not publically listed. A local seminary once asked me to consider selling them the B&B as a dormitory should I ever be in the market to sell it. (I wonder if they knew something a year ago that I didn't know.)

The church has a realtor and an attorney who would donate their services pro bono - saving me the cost of a realtor's commission. The flip side is that the church needs time to research the feasbility of acquiring this property and I've been asked to hold off putting the inn on the market for one month.

I've decided to acede to their request ... so we'll see what happens.

**Bananas** · 09-02-2006, 06:34 PM

One month is not that long in time, if you are not in a hurry, David. Just think of all the effort you would be spared if this sale falls into place, as well as money saved. If they serve as dorms for the seminary, the beauty of your inn will go fast! When we moved into seminary housing, it took about 8 hours of work on each area to get the stove, fridge, and kitchen floor decent. 8O

Did your cats travel in carriers from Texas? Bananas, our first dog, hated cars. Driving the 20 hours back to Chicago was a nightmare for him. He lived before carriers were prevalent. He barked, howled, cowered, ducked, and kept his eyes on the road the entire time. Zacchaeus, current old dog, loves to go in the car.

On the pet forum, there is a sticky to post pics of your beloved pets. If you have any of your cats, we would love to see them!

**Kelley_the_Gardener** · 09-02-2006, 06:39 PM

Wow, David!

I've run into you a bunch of times this Saturday morning in different forums, and ended up here last. If you read through my other comments, you'll know that I relocated to Oregon in '05.

So, my thoughts:

See if you can get certification in Pennsylvania and Oregon. It keeps your options open.

California and Oregon are supposed to have "reciprocity," but I didn't find it exactly that way. I had to take a course on "Discrimination and the Oregon Educator" and teach here a year to get an initial teaching license. I started with a temporary.

I don't know about state wide, but I know that my district has many more columns in the pay scale, and that there is a different step-and-column pay scale for teachers with a masters.

Pay is lower than in CA. Significantly lower. Benefits cost more. Significantly more. Cost of living is not lower.
There was more job competition. I'm not in Portland, but in this area there were 60-90 applicants for every posted opening.

Oregon has not traveled too far down the NCLB "Teaching to the test is all" path than many other states have, but the drums are just beginning to beat. Much better than CA, though.

Oregon is a beautiful place to live. I wouldn't settle in Portland, or anywhere near the coast, if you don't like lots and lots of rain, though. Eugene has a large, vibrant district; I've done some staff development with teachers from that side of the mountains. If I could pick any place in Oregon, without employment/financial concerns, I'd look at Ashland, Walterville/Leaburg, Grants Pass, Silverton, or one of the smaller communities outside of Portland. Gresham, maybe.

**David Chin** · 09-02-2006, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Kelley_the_Gardener

I wouldn't settle in Portland, or anywhere near the coast, if you don't like lots and lots of rain, though.

Yes - but after 7 years of living in the Saudi desert, I really like rain. I like greenery ... and have you noticed the color and lushness of the wildflowers on the coast? Mixed deciduous forests, pastures full of bright flowers, forest trails of mulched bark, rocks covered with moss ... what's not to like?

And after enjoying a leisurely walk in brisk weather, what better than to visit a local diner and enjoy a bowl of clam chowder?

I will have to research where Pennsylvania is regarding standardized instruction. If Pennsylvania has gone the route of Texas, that alone would be enough to push me back towards Oregon.

Standardized instruction. Yuck! Ick! Gasp! Five years away from the field of education have yet to wash the memory of this foul taste from my mouth.

**Leslie** · 09-03-2006, 01:16 AM

David -- have you considered teaching in a small town somewhere instead of a big city? I'm thinking all those gorgeous small towns full of antique shops in beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

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