Ready or not, here I come!

I have a job!! Everything happened so fast on Wednesday and I'm definitely still in shock.

I get a phone call from the principal of a school where a good friend of mine works. Let's call her Daisy. I had been a supply there many times last year and apparently made a good impression on the principal. So she phones me up and says they have a "potential" LTO coming up at the school, and would I like to come in for an interview. Shocked, I say of course! She says we'll have the interview at 6pm. No problem. But could I also come in now just so she can ask me some questions. I say of course! And by the way, she says, since nothing is for sure, she can't really tell me any details except that it's .5 (half time). Wonderful, I say, since I'm doing my masters part time anyways.

What luck, I'm thinking, to be able to work at the same school as Daisy! We've been friends for over five years, and went to teachers' college together! This would be amazing!

So I rush around like a crazy person trying to get myself looking presentable and to pull together a cover letter and resume package. I finally head over to the school and meet the principal there. The secretary looked at me as if I was from another planet when I asked if the principal was there. "Is she expecting you?" she asked. "Yes" I said. "I can wait but please tell her I'm here"...

The principal asks me some interview-ish questions, but as she said "this is turning out to be a very informal interview", since the phone was ringing off the hook, and people were knocking at the door...So in the course of this conversation I manage to find out a few more details. The position is to teach grade two, and I'm sharing the class with none other than Daisy!! What are the chances!!! My shock level goes up several degrees. I also find out that she is not interviewing anyone else for the position, and as long as I don't say anything too crazy at the formal interview, I'll be hired. Holy crap!!

So I go home from there and try to eat some food and not go crazy. I eventually make my way to the formal interview after trying to review some of the important buzz words like "backwards by design" and "constructivism" and "diagnostic assessment". There are two other principals in the room (along with my principal-to-be) and things are very formal. One principal asks me the questions and the others write down my answers. No one really responds to anything I say, unless I try to be funny and then they smile. At the end I'm about to leave and I say, "oh yeah, did you want a copy of my resume and cover letter?" The principal had told me to bring them. "Naw", they say. Well, I'll take that as a good sign, I think. They obviously aren't really deciding whether or not to hire me if they don't even want to see my resume.

About an hour later I get a phone call from the principal telling me that she just has to finalize this with HR, but I have the job. I thank her profusely and that's it! I have the job! Of course Nathan has been hearing about all this as it happens, and he is also really excited. And also in shock.

So there you go. I feel really undeserving since I clearly got this job on the basis of who I knew, not really on the basis of any skill or talent I might have. Which just goes to show that it really is who you know. But I certainly can't complain. I get to work at a super easy school, with one of my very good friends as a teaching partner. It's amazing.

So now it's off to planning, planning and more planning. Stay tuned for more exciting stories from the world of HOME ROOM teaching! Yay!

Beasties

Well, the school year has officially begun, and as expected, I still haven't heard from a school. I'm not surprised though, in terms of supply teaching, since no good teacher would take a day off during the first two weeks of the school year...

Thus, I have no stories to share yet. However, many of my good friends are teaching and one, who teaches jk/sk gym, has been gracious enough to share with me a lovely kindie story. Here it is, and I quote:

I take them outside today and of course it so happens that the big blue truck that empties the big blue dumpster arrives just as I have finally gotten their attention (which is difficult to get from 4-year-olds).

So, as often occurs in teaching, I abandon trying to get their attention and encourage them to leave the circle that they are in and to come huddle at the side of the school to watch the garbage truck.

No sooner have they gathered around me, do I feel a tug on my shorts. A little boy looks up at me with fear in his eyes and ultimate concern for my well being and says, "Don't go too close to the big blue bin, there's beasties in there!".

Beasties. I'm racking my brain. What have this poor child's parents been telling him lives in the dumpster?

"Beasties?" I ask, stalling for time.

"Yeah, you know, beasties, they sting you."

"OHHHHHHHHH. Do you mean bees, honey?"

"Yeah. Beasties. The little bugs that sting you."

Lesson learned. Watch out for beasties by the big blue bin.

:)