Wednesday, August 22, 2012

blahness

Jobs applied for: 58
Interviews: 0
Offers: 0

Sorry that I have not been very active in blogging these last couple of weeks. The stats above pretty much sum up my life the last several weeks. The official first day of school in this area is in five days. I've already seen yellow school buses driving by my house, more news stories are gearing up for the first day of school. Each day makes me more miserable.

I had the last four days off from work: When I first noticed this in the schedule weeks ago, I was elated because it would give me a wide enough window to accept interviews and/or prepare a classroom. I did manage to wash a ton of dishes needing to be washed and I got a couple of errands done on Monday, even paying over $350 dollars for two textbooks to use for a couple of math classes I am taking this fall. You better believe I felt a little more depressed after unloading that amount of money.

Applications for the Clinical Teaching Experience are going to be accepted in two weeks. Depending on whether I am granted a CTE, we still have to figure out how next spring is going to look. My husband doesn't want me to work during this time so I can be completely devoted to the CTE, but my part time job is the only thing that is giving us health benefits. The CTE will cost about $3000 out of pocket...

Words that have gotten me through today "One needs trials to have triumphs". Would this count as multiple trials or one big hairy trial?

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Bad fishing

I state this because I have had no bites on the job search. I'm so excited about a potential classroom, but because I am generalist, I do not even know which direction I would go if I little time to prepare a room. I'm already excited about joining another professional organization that relates to teaching in the digital age. Given where I currently work and my background in executing technology based trainings, teaching and technology go hand in hand.

So far today I applied for three different teaching positions at two school districts. I just have to keep on keeping on.

Please send prayers and thoughts our way as my husband is having to deal with uncertainty on the job front. He interviewed to teach students at one of the high schools in our hometown ISD, and found out yesterday that he won that spot, gaining a good number of students to teach privately next year. He has been holding out for a full time spot at the church he has worked at for over a year with part time hours. The new boss says that he values my husbands work but he will not budge on making him full time, even though he is filling in for a full time position that was supposedly filled over a month ago. He wants to and would rather continue with this music ministry, but with an increase of students in his studio to support his family which has no benefits and holding out for a full time church position with the music ministry which does have benefits...there is a lot of uncertainty where God wants us to go. At this point, it seems best to go for the route that takes care of his family more. I do not know what to tell him - if I knew, then I wouldn't be raving and ranting on this blog and searching for more fulfillment in my life.

It becomes ever more clear that my days with my company are coming to a close. Perhaps I am tired of doing lots of different things, but no acknowledgement comes my way but acknowledgement goes out everywhere else to others. Next week I know that I am doing at least five workshops over three days because no one else is comfortable in doing them. Less obscure is my theory of limited development coming my way, as they are sending other people through a development program (again) who may not be in the best interest of doing said job. Only a handful of people know where I am on my journey, and I know they are heartbroken when I mention that I have not heard about anything. I know that I have not gotten through all I have over the last 18 months to stop at this...but what else can I do right now that I'm not already doing?

Thursday, August 2, 2012

...tiny disturbances...

I have only received three form rejection letters from schools. My only ray of hope is that I applied to more positions from these ISDs, but I have not received any calls. Of course, these are school districts of whose policy I understand. For example, there are three band director positions with one of these school districts. This particular school district I have a good pulse on because my in-laws work in this school district. I already know that these positions have been filled as of this past Saturday. So I'm slightly surprised when one gets posted today, even though the position was filled a few days prior. They post the jobs as a courtesy, but it is sad because they could be missing out on some excellent prospects (not saying that those that are filling the positions are less than excellent!), but there is always the chance.

It is now August. It is miserable outside and where did July go to? Some schools start their new teacher academy next Monday, with most schools having their basic first Staff Development in two weeks. I have a schedule at my current position through then.

Realistically, I need to start considering the options of the student teaching option for next spring. If I recall correctly, Region 10 starts interviewing people for those spots in September. I am trying to keep busy, and with all the coursework I am completing for Region 10, plus taking TWO math classes at Collin, this should not be hard to accomplish. I am taking math classes to try to defer my student loan payments some more, as well as take advantage of a state grant that I qualify for, which I need to be enrolled in six hours to qualify. One of them is online, and the other only happens on Monday nights (so this would not be a major burden for retail hours).

I have applications throughout the major ISDs in the area, except for Dallas (and anyone in the teaching field probably knows why) and Frisco (because you have to know the right people on the inside and I also have just not had time to complete it). Although I think I would prefer teaching in a small town, one never knows when the elementary school just one block away might need someone to teach there (very wishful thinking).

I am trying to maintain this blog at least once a week, which now means not allowing ten days to lapse between posts. As I am not planning lessons or classroom layouts, there is not much else for me to do besides keeping up with my Region 10 coursework.

In other news, Hulu Plus now works on AppleTV and this equals very dangerous addictions impending. I am already into the tens with episodes of Once Upon a Time in less than 48 hours. Think of me :)