There’s Only So Much Thriving You Can Do in Iowa
Where do we go from here?
Today is the day the students I worked with last semester return from winter break. I had to be thoughtful in the way I worded that last sentence. They are no longer “my” students, and yet, throughout the last couple of days I have thought about their upcoming recitals we had planned together; whether or not one student had success gown shopping back on the east coast with her mother, whether another would return after learning that she was going to be a mother herself. Memory slips that had happened at their juries, learning to walk in heels, a much-needed rest. Each of them takes up a little space in my mind, our student-teacher relationships cut abruptly short.
It is a new year, and I am a woman of action. Eyes forward. My children and I decided together that in six months we will move to the Chicago area. After all, as one friend put it, there is only so much thriving you can do in Iowa. This may not be true if you are born into a family business, perhaps with land attached to your name. Everything is spread out, wages are low, and there is very little work for anything connected to the arts. I start every morning perusing the local employment ads. As soon as I returned from my holiday travel, I began the steps to obtain a substitute teaching license. Now, there is a significant shortage of both regular teachers and substitute teachers here. I have a doctorate, have taught full time at the university level, grades 6-12 in private schools, and substitute taught in a different state. The required 15-hour class for authorization in Iowa is $150 online, plus license application, fingerprint fees, and several other modules, all totaling $305 plus over 25 hours of unpaid work, with a projected processing time of 4-6 weeks before you can start. This is for a job that pays roughly $18/hr. There are high schools seeking vocal music directors for their musicals. With rehearsals five days a week for six weeks plus tech week, they are offering the princely stipend of $1200.
And so, it is, in many ways, a return to pandemic life for me. I have little in-person interaction, no daily colleagues to speak of. At least my online work is doing well. Between filming content creation, writing, and online students, I am able to keep us afloat. Of course, there is the looming possibility of the TikTok ban, which will greatly affect my ability to provide for my family. And then there is the issue of health insurance, a list of neglected dentals procedures, and scheduled braces for one child. A modest Marketplace plan selected for me, Medicaid applications for the children, and an estimated two months of waiting for approval; here’s to hoping we stay healthy until then.
It all starts to feel like a feverish tap dance. This summer’s move will be our fifth home in five years. Miraculously, my children remain open and trusting in me, both on the honor roll this year. I had taken this job for stability for them. Who imagines a three-year contract will be broken four months in? I’m convinced the Universe knows when you are selling yourself out, trying to take one for the team. I am meant to create, to sing, and to write. Also to teach, but the creation cannot be ignored.
And so, plates start to shift to prepare our move to the Windy City. If the winds cannot be calm, may they at least carry us on a fortuitous adventure.