One of my male students walked up to me on Friday and exclaimed, "All I know is that I'm a middle aged black woman; help me out!"
This exclamation, in context, made perfect sense. My class was playing the "Guess Who" game where you post the name of a famous person on your forehead and ask your peers yes and no questions to determine your identity. We were playing with all of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, and this particular student could not figure out that he was Helen Robinson until someone said that there was a song about him and began humming "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson."
This was all a part of my goal to have as much fun teaching as humanly possible in my last few days of class. I intend to play games, read short stories and children's stories aloud, and do a little creative writing. I am fitting it all conveniently into the curriculum, which only goes to show that the classroom can be a fun place if you try. I am really looking forward to class this week, but I am looking forward to my own class next fall just a little bit more!!!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
My First Job
My posts have been sparse lately because my priorities have temporarily shifted. As a soon to be college graduate, my main goal as of late has been securing a teaching position for next fall. I had been forewarned that this could be a long and tedious process and had thus prepared for the worse. I went to an out of state job fair in March, filled out countless online applications, and attended every seminar I could find on resumes, cover letters, and interview tips. In the month of March I sent job applications out everywhere I could. And I waited. The hardest part was the waiting.
Fortunately for me, the wait was not long. I got a call in the second week of March asking to set up an interview with a district recruiter I met at the out of state job fair. Things with her went well, and a week later, I got a call from a building principal asking to set up an interview. He asked if I could stop by his office the following Thursday or Friday, but the 1,550 mile drive was a little deterring. I asked if we could schedule instead for Monday when I would actually be in his state on my spring break with my college service organization. He said his school was also on spring break that week, but that he would be sure to be in his office long enough on Monday to complete an interview.
The interview went swimmingly. I could not have asked for a nicer interviewer or better interview questions. I answered with confidence everything asked of me, and by the time he asked the final question, 'Why do you want to be a teacher?', I was glowing. That was the easiest question of all. My first hint that the interview went well was when his questions were all asked, we kept chatting. I asked him a few questions, he asked me a few questions, and I stayed 20-30 minutes after my scheduled time slot. My second clue that the interview went well was when I got a call exactly one week later saying that I was the front-runner for the position, but they wanted to be sure that I would take it if it was offered. The next day I called back and said I would be thrilled to be a part of his school district. By Friday I had the job.
The school is perfect. It was my number one choice of schools at the job fair, and it was the first job I applied to. Had I turned it down and waited to hear from more of the schools I applied to, I don't think I could have found a better fit for me. The school is well over a thousand miles from home, but in my estimations it is worth the distance. This is my own little adventure. This is my opportunity to get out and live life and have fun doing it. This is a fresh page in a new chapter for me, and I couldn't be more thrilled.
So I apologize for slacking when it comes to updating my blog, but I've been a little busy landing my first teaching job.
Fortunately for me, the wait was not long. I got a call in the second week of March asking to set up an interview with a district recruiter I met at the out of state job fair. Things with her went well, and a week later, I got a call from a building principal asking to set up an interview. He asked if I could stop by his office the following Thursday or Friday, but the 1,550 mile drive was a little deterring. I asked if we could schedule instead for Monday when I would actually be in his state on my spring break with my college service organization. He said his school was also on spring break that week, but that he would be sure to be in his office long enough on Monday to complete an interview.
The interview went swimmingly. I could not have asked for a nicer interviewer or better interview questions. I answered with confidence everything asked of me, and by the time he asked the final question, 'Why do you want to be a teacher?', I was glowing. That was the easiest question of all. My first hint that the interview went well was when his questions were all asked, we kept chatting. I asked him a few questions, he asked me a few questions, and I stayed 20-30 minutes after my scheduled time slot. My second clue that the interview went well was when I got a call exactly one week later saying that I was the front-runner for the position, but they wanted to be sure that I would take it if it was offered. The next day I called back and said I would be thrilled to be a part of his school district. By Friday I had the job.
The school is perfect. It was my number one choice of schools at the job fair, and it was the first job I applied to. Had I turned it down and waited to hear from more of the schools I applied to, I don't think I could have found a better fit for me. The school is well over a thousand miles from home, but in my estimations it is worth the distance. This is my own little adventure. This is my opportunity to get out and live life and have fun doing it. This is a fresh page in a new chapter for me, and I couldn't be more thrilled.
So I apologize for slacking when it comes to updating my blog, but I've been a little busy landing my first teaching job.
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