Why Finally Teaching?

@finallyteaching was actually my OG instagram teacher account that I created in my first year of teaching in 2021! My first year was filled with SO many ups, downs, twists, and turns.

Quick Detour!

Teaching is my 4th career. I graduated in 2014 with a BA in Business as a first gen college graduate. I had no idea what I was going to do with a business degree, but I’d hoped that it would open doors for me, which it did!

Immediately after graduating in May, I quit my job at In-N-Out and started my first big girl career that June in commercial finance (basically, I was a sales representative that offered equipment financing to businesses). After three years, lots of money made, and random stress hives from the pressure of performing and closing high interest deals: I realized that I needed PURPOSE in my career. I felt like I was selling my soul tbh.

In 2017, I started working in higher education at my alma mater, Whittier College, and became the Assistant Director of Annual Giving (basically, helped raise money for student scholarships). I figured this would be a great space for me to put my sales experience to good use.

Shortly after working there, of course, I was looking for my next step and wanted to take advantage of the employee tuition reimbursement and pursued my masters. Funny enough, the only MA degree available at WC was in Education and the program offered a dual MA/teaching credential option. I felt like this was a HUGE sign from the universe to finally pursue teaching, so I buckled up and went on the ride.

SIDEBAR:

Literally from grades K-12th grade I thought that I was going to be a teacher,

however, I graduated in 2010 (post 2008 market crash) and during a time when teachers were being pink-slipped left and right.

I remember a teacher telling me my senior year that she recommended I become anything else but a teacher, and that it was the biggest regret of her life. I was also dating someone at the time who asked if I wanted more out of my life than to “just be a teacher.” Add all that to being a first gen college student, and ultimately, I decided to pursue business and let go of my dreams of becoming a high school teacher.

ALRIGHT: Let’s “finally” get back to my first year of teaching!

I accepted a position at a charter school in east Los Angeles and created my teacher IG account called @finallyteaching because after 2 degrees and 3 career shifts later, I was “FINALLY TEACHING!!”

To say the least, my first year of teaching was one of the most stressful years of my life that shook me to my core. To put things into perspective, I had my first panic attack on the restroom floor during a PD in my spring semester.

When I started teaching, I came in with so much creativity, curriculum ideas, and excitement for the year. I was met with an administrator who told me that “these kids can’t read,” and if I wanted to introduce a novel than they would not support me (sink or swim: and told me that the last teacher in my position chose this path and ended up quitting mid year) -YIKES! Not sure if it was the scorpio in me, but I chose to try and swim.

There was a lot of push back, manipulation, sexism, and degradation that followed with an extremely toxic work environment. I think that I cried every day that year.

My 9th grade students were also adjusting to life in a mid-pandemic-in-person, post virtual distance, learning experience: so as you can imagine, it was a WILD time.

Did I mention, I was also planning my destination wedding?

By the end of the academic year, I was DONE. I served my time by completing my school contract, and dipped the H*LL out of there. I wasn’t sure where I was headed, but thought that I was done with teaching forever.

Our last day of school was on Thursday (June 16) and the following Monday, I flew to Hawaii to get married that Wednesday (June 22). I had an incredible wedding, spent the week in Oahu with my family, and then went to Maui for another week for our honeymoon. It was everything I needed.

When I got back home in July, I changed my IG name from “finallyteaching” to what it is today: @chelsea.sahagun

I was looking forward to a career shift again and applied to so many places, literally anything but teaching - from education consulting, fundraising at In-N-Out, to HR reps at Mercury Insurance and CorePower Yoga. I had interview after interview and was rejected from everything. My husband was supporting me full time (thank the universe for him) and I was also doordashing to survive.

After two months of unsuccessful interviews, I finally caved and started looking into teaching again…by October 2022, I was back in the classroom: This time, I was at a public school in Pasadena, but felt like I was settling.

The pay was $20k less than what the charter network salary would have been, so I was still doordashing...I was still going on interviews, and still getting rejected…The school was a mess: underfunded, way too many students, rotating subs, and a behavior management culture that’s motto was “just fail them…”

That spring of 2023: I launched a side business (unrelated to teaching), found out that I was pregnant, experienced a miscarriage, found out my husband had cancer, supported him through surgery (thank god we found it early and the tumor was completely removed), failed at my side business, and THEN found out I was pregnant again…what a year!

And it was only April...

I FINALLY decided that I wanted to fully commit to being a teacher, recognized that I did love the charter network that I was originally at, but knew I needed to try a different school (obviously).

By the end of April, I had applied and accepted a position at the first school that I interviewed with. There were green flags left and right, which I plan on doing a whole other blog post about because as you can tell this one is getting a bit long! Sorryyyyyyyyy lol.

While I knew I was committed to “finally teaching” again, I knew I also needed MORE for myself, my income, and my growing family: So, I took a chance, and joined a coaching program for teacherpreneurs with @kindasortateacher

*HUGE PLUG: She is F-ing incredible and I have learned SO much from her! 1,0000% recommend her for all your teacher biz needs.

Finally, summer 2023: I created my NEW business and called her FINALLY TEACHING because (well for starters, I wanted to honor my og IG account) and after everything, I am FINALLY TEACHING: finally at a school I love, and finally feel like I found my PURPOSE with my teacherpreneur business creating digital ELA and SEL resources to help teachers feel like they are FINALLY TEACHING too!

If you’ve read this far, THANK YOU. I hope that we feel a little closer too. ILY.

With Gratitude,

Chelsea Sahagun

Founder of Finally Teaching

& your favorite teacher bestie

PS: If no one has told you yet today:

You are seen, you are heard, and you are valued.