Sorry. I'm just really overwhelmed right now, and just SO not in the mood to blog.
I'll give it another try tonight.
I guess the biggest news is that I'm now officially a teacher again :) Part time (whew!), as in Mondays and Fridays. So, I have to share this incredible (and I do mean INCREDIBLE) story with y'all. The irony (and God's twisted sense of humor) are way too over the top for me to pass up.
So, four and a half years ago, I got fired from my last teaching job after six years with good evaluations and no forewarning. It's a nice little trick that this district does to avoid paying high salaries to tenured teachers--get rid of them when they're up for tenure; then you can hire a new teacher to take their place and save money. So, it worked out for the best 'cause I got to be a stay-at-home mom for the past three years (that had been my dream for a L-O-N-G time).
BUT, time never completely removed the sting of being fired (and to be honest, the resentment against my principal). She left two years later, and I was sure I would never have to see her again. I washed my hands of that ugly chapter in my life.
Fast forward to the present, and I needed to find a job as a substitute teacher to earn some extra money (I was purposely not looking for a teaching job because you ALWAYS end up bringing work home as a teacher, and I didn't want to do that till Carlos is in middle school.). Part of applying to substitute teach involves getting letters of recommendation. I had to get one from my former principal (yes, the one that fired me). So I was able to track her down at the Christian school where she was the computer lab teacher. She looks at me right after I asked her for the letter of recommendation, and asks me if I want her job. Frankly, I was floored. I thought I'd entered the Twilight Zone (I could hear the "doo doo doo doo" music in the background, lol!). I quickly said that I wasn't interested. But when I got home, I realized what a foolish response that was. Here was a job opportunity handed to me on a silver platter, and I was going to say, "thanks, but no thanks"? Especially in today's economy, and the next-to-impossibility of finding a teaching position in public education in California. So I quickly repented of my foolishness (yes, that's a slight tongue-in-cheek comment), and emailed her that I was interested.
To make a long story short, I got the job, and started last Friday. Here's the irony:
I'll give it another try tonight.
I guess the biggest news is that I'm now officially a teacher again :) Part time (whew!), as in Mondays and Fridays. So, I have to share this incredible (and I do mean INCREDIBLE) story with y'all. The irony (and God's twisted sense of humor) are way too over the top for me to pass up.
So, four and a half years ago, I got fired from my last teaching job after six years with good evaluations and no forewarning. It's a nice little trick that this district does to avoid paying high salaries to tenured teachers--get rid of them when they're up for tenure; then you can hire a new teacher to take their place and save money. So, it worked out for the best 'cause I got to be a stay-at-home mom for the past three years (that had been my dream for a L-O-N-G time).
BUT, time never completely removed the sting of being fired (and to be honest, the resentment against my principal). She left two years later, and I was sure I would never have to see her again. I washed my hands of that ugly chapter in my life.
Fast forward to the present, and I needed to find a job as a substitute teacher to earn some extra money (I was purposely not looking for a teaching job because you ALWAYS end up bringing work home as a teacher, and I didn't want to do that till Carlos is in middle school.). Part of applying to substitute teach involves getting letters of recommendation. I had to get one from my former principal (yes, the one that fired me). So I was able to track her down at the Christian school where she was the computer lab teacher. She looks at me right after I asked her for the letter of recommendation, and asks me if I want her job. Frankly, I was floored. I thought I'd entered the Twilight Zone (I could hear the "doo doo doo doo" music in the background, lol!). I quickly said that I wasn't interested. But when I got home, I realized what a foolish response that was. Here was a job opportunity handed to me on a silver platter, and I was going to say, "thanks, but no thanks"? Especially in today's economy, and the next-to-impossibility of finding a teaching position in public education in California. So I quickly repented of my foolishness (yes, that's a slight tongue-in-cheek comment), and emailed her that I was interested.
To make a long story short, I got the job, and started last Friday. Here's the irony:
- I wasn't even going to ask her for a letter of recommendation until a former (very wise) co-worker told me it is absolutely necessary to have a letter of recommendation from your former employer.
- The woman who fired me is offering me her job (so I guess I couldn't have been that bad, eh?), and not only offering me the job, she's telling the principal that I'm perfect for the job :)
- People had asked me if I would ever consider teaching in a private school, and my response was always a v-e-r-y quick, "no" because the pay is much less. I had to go to school for a long time and pass some very hard tests to be a public school teacher--not to mention the fact that I have loans I'm still paying back for my education.
- So funny how we have our own plans. I had everything mapped out beautifully--substitute teach for a few years, and then get a job in a public school when Carlos was ready to start middle school. Then God enters the scene and turns everything upside down. I have to laugh because He knows I would never have applied to teach there, so He concocted a way for me to accomplish His plan for my life.
In short, am LOVING it. I teach first through eighth graders at this school. I LOVE the program they use to teach computer skills to the kids, and I LOVE hearing the kids talk about God during class like it's just so normal. :) SOOO cool!!
Oh, and Samantha (not that I expect you to be reading this after my two-month hiatus from blogging, but if you are ...), you replaced me and taught in "my" classroom. That was so hard for me when I first met you, but now I'm SO glad it was you :)
Comments
And I'm loving the fact that you took her job! ;) Perfect irony!