I didn’t walk into my last school through the front door. I didn’t get hired because I was the obvious choice. I wasn’t recruited or celebrated. In fact, I was told “no” multiple times.
I first interviewed there for a high school social studies position. Didn’t get it. Later, I applied for a middle school social studies job. Didn’t get that either. But they did ask me if I wanted to coach tennis. I said, “No.” That didn’t sit well with me – how could I be good enough to coach, but not good enough to teach?
Eventually, I found my way into the building through special education. I didn’t have a degree in special ed, but I promised them I’d go back and get it—and I did. I finished my master’s in special education in a year and a half.
As soon as I finished my master’s in special ed, another social studies position opened up. I applied. And again, they told me no—they wanted to hire a football coach without a teaching degree. The board denied the hire. I was the backup. The “Plan B.” So, I took the job. And in the back of my mind, I told myself: I’m going to show everyone.
I worked. I carried those chips on my shoulder into every lesson, every interaction, every chance I had to connect and grow. I found ways to innovate, brought in new tech, found fresh ways to make learning matter. I built relationships with students, families, colleagues. I was driven by rejection.
This rejection fueled me, and eventually, I became the Ohio District 5 Teacher of the Year. Then the OCSS Middle School Social Studies Teacher of the Year. I became an AI consultant. A presenter. A published author.
The result of me getting told “no.”
So yeah, this job shaped me. Not because it was easy. But because I wasn’t supposed to get it—and I made damn sure they didn’t regret it.
Moler's Musings 