Tonight I went to the first half of my CPR and First Aid Training series. I have had this planned for a while and was NOT looking forward to it. I've been trained in CPR several times and I thought it got pretty boring the second time around - and this is my fourth time. After I got out, I've been really glad that I am doing this for several reasons.
The main reason I had to attend this CPR training is to keep my teaching certificate current in my new state. I'm sure there are a lot of you out there that have jobs that require constant maintenance and continuous education which can be super daunting and easy to put off (at least for me it has been.) Plus, going to the class was a huge annoyance schedule-wise; my options were one 8 hour long class (impossible - my son is still nursing,) four 2 hour sessions (but it lasts two weeks), or two 4 hour sessions (it goes until 10pm, which is way past my bedtime, but it seemed more efficient plus he let us out a little early!) I am really glad that I am doing it because this could become a HUGE obstacle later on down the road and if the obstacles start to add up, then the burden to re-enter the job market might be too discouraging.
One thing I was not expecting to get out of the training was that I found it to be a great place to network! All of the other
people in this class are teachers and student teachers from all over our
district. If I needed to get some insight about a certain school or get
some contacts, these people would be super helpful.
Last and of course the most obvious benefit, is that having a current teaching certificate and being CPR certified, well that just makes my resume look good!
I have a couple more things to share about my CPR class but I'm going to have to save it for tomorrow because now it is way past my bedtime.
Sincerely,
Jordan
P.S. Click here for CPR and First Aid Training Resources
