By Jeannette Steeves
Fifteen years ago, I made the decision
to close my professional design practice in Florida. I wanted to return to school to complete my Bachelors Degree
in Fine Arts at the University of Georgia. The next ten years did not go as I had planned. The
first problem was the apartment house I had recently inherited and was counting
on to support me while I was in school.
It burned to the ground three months after I had relocated. Shortly after wards I learned that all the
belongings I truly valued, which I had left in storage in Florida, were being
held by an unscrupulous moving company that demanded $10,000 to return
them. I was able to work through
those rather significant problems. However,
the whole educational adventure had gotten completely out of control. What I
thought would be a one-year experience ended up lasting eight years. Finally,
after completing my Ph. D. in housing, interior design and resource management
with a minor in gerontology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, I returned to my home in Altamonte Springs. I
immediately began a job search. My
goal was a job at Seminole Community College, as it was known then, which
offered a two-year degree in interior design. They were also developing a
program featuring studies in design for the aging population. It was exactly the kind of program I
had hoped and prayed for. I was very optimistic about the possibility of
securing a position there. For
five years I pursued every opportunity to teach at Seminole State College (SSC), as it is now known. For five
years I experienced one disappointment after another. I
did, however, get a job four years ago at a small private art school which
proved to be an excellent learning experience. Coupled with my prior experience in the design field and
work I had done in several levels of both residential and commercial interior
design, I thought I would have no problem handling a teaching position. No so. I encountered obstacles at SSC. Gradually I realized that I had a lot
to learn about teaching. In time,
however, after working very hard, I learned and grew professionally in many
ways. Two
months ago I was rewarded with a job teaching two classes at SSC, which is now
a full four-year college that offers a Bachelors Degree in Interior
Design. Although it’s a balancing
act to hold two adjunct positions on two different campuses, I am enjoying the
work. Now I am praying for a
full-time position as the SSC program grows. Looking
back at the last five years, it couldn’t be clearer to me that God’s
fingerprints are all over my experience.
I wasn’t prepared for the position I was applying for five years ago. I needed the experience that I had at
the private art school to prepare me for the more complex university system and
for working with students. God’s
patience with me is amazing. I
continue to pray for the wisdom that will eliminate the kicking and screaming
that almost always accompanies my growth.
When am I going to remember that there’s more at play than my expectations when “things” don’t go
according to my plans?
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