pivot

I finished my last day teaching yesterday. Walked the halls and said goodbye to some teachers and support folk who stick out as exceptionally devoted and talented.

Turned in my sub paperwork to the front office and headed out the door. It was close, but I got past all the kids in front of the school before I choked up. I was thankful for the sunglasses and for my parking spot way across the lot. Drove to the ISD offices and turned in my badge[s].

I've said before that this feeling reminds me of asking someone to marry you and they say 'no'. Future plans dissolve like smoke wisps and it feels like I'll be limping with an emotional stonebruise for a while. But life goes on. Keep breathing in and out and meet each day as it comes.


I am spending this weekend organizing and cleaning. I start a new job (and what feels like a new life) on Monday.

callbacks, pt2

As I mentioned earlier, I've been interviewing.

The position I really wanted never did make a 2nd interview but they make an offer. :-) I accepted, and I start next week.

It's not in teaching but I'd seen the writing on the wall already anyhow. I'd already doubled-, tripled-, and quadrupled-down on teaching. To continue down that road would require quintupling-down (working several more weeks without pay) and sextupling-down (re-taking more altcert coursework which 'expired') with no guarantee of work on the other side.

Anyhow. Everyone I've met at the new job is interesting, competent, and friendly. I'll do my best to be a productive member of the new team.

Once I turn in my school badge I'll probably make a few posts over on MBTRT with my thoughts on the education market, alternative certification, substitute teaching, and the State of the Classroom in elementary, junior high, and high schools around town.

soft shoe

Sorry for the long time away. Been handling stuff on the home front.

After months of "no thanks" letters (and a kerbillion applications that went into the Great Beyond with no response at all) I have four job interviews within a 7-day period.

I don't know if this a fluke or businesses forecasting an increase in demand. Either way, I'll take the interviews. If nothing else it's an opportunity to put on the song-and-dance in front of an employer. Gotta be grateful for small things.

None of these jobs are in education (in any normal sense); even before the recent ISD Budget Apocalypse the writing was on the wall for me. The planned massive layoffs made me face the fact there is almost zero chance for an new alt-cert social studies teacher to gain a foothold. Could I still get a teaching position? Yeah. And I might win the lottery, and monkeys might fly out my butt. It's time to plan for a future outside the classroom.

In the Real World my family has to eat and we have to pay to live somewhere. I have been applying to positions all along, but I took each of the ISD snow days and spent 8hrs/day applying to non-teaching positions. Thus the non-teaching interviews.

Life goes on.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Texas shortfalls and my reality

The shortfalls in the Texas budget directly affects all ISDs, which directly affects those of us doing our best to secure our first teaching jobs.

I haven't given up, but at some point a man has to start thinking in terms of an exit strategy. Maybe IT in an ISD? Since I'm already fingerprinted/backgrounded and employed by a couple of districts I'm hoping that makes me an easier hire than average Joe off the street.

New RNs, New Teachers

This article is about nurses, but if you substitute "teachers" for "nurses" the pattern holds. I added the emphasis.

New RNs find job market tight
By Alison Young, USA TODAY
Even as a national nursing shortage looms, many newly graduated registered nurses can't find jobs because the recession has delayed retirement of experienced nurses, regulators and health care associations say.
...
An advisory for new grads published by the association warns that the market is "flooded" with experienced RNs who have come out of retirement, delayed retirement or gone from part-time to full-time employment because of the recession.
...
A June 2009 survey by the association of 2,112 spring RN graduates found 44% hadn't yet landed a nursing job.

How to coach (I mean "teach") History in Texas

I run many canned searches each day.  This is how it came up this morning (note:  I was not searching for coaching in any way).

Teacher-Coach-Assistant Basketball-Social Studies Composite

Basketball-Social Studies Composite Location: Roosevelt HS REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS: Social 

Teacher-Coach - Social Studies Composite/Ass. Football

High School Social Studies Composite Teacher, Softball/Volle...

School Social Studies Composite Teacher, Softball...

Teacher-Coach-Social Studies-Assistant Football

Social Studies Teacher/Coach

Social Studies Composite/Asst. Football & Basketball Coach (...

Teacher-Coach-Social Studies/Asst Girls Basketball-Softball-...

Teacher-Coach-Social Studies Comp./Head Softball Coach

I bring this up so folks getting into the field will see how it works.  When making life plans it's useful to have someone point out the hidden obstacles.

I will close with a quote from Bierce:

ACADEME, n.  An ancient school where morality and philosophy were taught.

ACADEMY, n.  [from ACADEME] A modern school where football is taught.

teaching, tilting at windmills

Introspection and explanation.

It's been a year and a half since I left a corporate/technical job to pursue teaching. My timing turned out to be quite bad; the economy immediately tanked and the teaching market constricted mightily. School districts like Richardson have quit accepting applications altogether from alternative certification folks like me unless one is in a high needs area (Math, Science). I'm not. And I can't get into a high needs area without getting a certificate in my non-high needs area first. This in spite of recent findings that there is no particular edge that traditional hires bring to the table.

I promise this isn't a whine or a complaint. My mood is one of acceptance and reality. A new alt cert applicant asked me the other day if the job market was depressing or scary. "No," I replied, "depressing and scary was about a year ago." I should point out that she asked me this during a 30-hr block of Saturday classes I'm having to retake for TEA because I didn't get the internship before the 18-month limit timed out. And I wasn't the only one like that in the classroom.

I tell you that to tell you this: I just filled out my first application for a non-teaching job. The market may pick up soon but subbing doesn't pay enough to keep me from burning through my resources: savings, checking, retirement, eBay/craiglist-able nonessentials and credit line. Subbing every single day (no days off, no cancellations, fully booked) yields a max of about $16k/yr. I figured I'd sub until I got a teaching job or ran out of resources, whichever came first.

If I do not get a teaching job for the Fall it's safe to say it's over. Neither the mortgage holder nor student loan officer will accept good intentions or dreams in lieu of cash, and I don't blame them. I gave the public school system first right of refusal and they exercised it. Fair enough. But I do feel a tiny bit like a fellow who had his proposal turned down on the jumbotron at the ballpark, or a volunteer the Peace Corps wouldn't accept.

I continue to email, hobnob, apply to ISD websites, look at 40+ ISD/charter/private school job listing pages each day but it appears the die has been cast. I'll keep trying to get a teaching position right up to the point I get hired to do something else.

Edited to add: even if I get a non-teaching job I'll continue to teach on my own time and my own dime. It's a vocation, and finds its way to the surface like St Francis preaching to the birds. Maybe I'll teach the chickens in the backyard.

Denouncement. Subset == substitute teachers

I've been thinking about something for a while. In the wake of terrorism by Muslim extremists (9/11 foremost) I and others encouraged mainstream Muslims to denounce the actions of the nutjob extremists.

I still hold this position. And I need to lead by example here, rather than asking someone else to do something I wouldn't do. So here goes.

I am currently a substitute teacher. So was this miscreant. Because we have the same job I will publically denounce his inappropriate action[s]. I won't dwell on the ethical or moral problems with his behaviour, since those are well-understood by most folks.

I will take a moment to point out that from a teaching point of view inappropriate relationships are destructive and counterproductive to the task at hand. Teaching is to no small degree a function of trust, a willingness to follow an adult's interpersonal and academic leadership. A kid needs to believe that s/he can take appropriate academic risk and the teacher will be there as a safety net and a guide. Anything that compromises that healthy teacher-student relationship is Bad.

Teachers, keep your relationships with the students professional and appropriate. School is for teaching, not for dating.

REJECT

A rejection letter is, at least, an acknowledgement of the existence of your application. It's cold comfort but it's comfort nonetheless.

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in the position of [history/geography] at [local city] High School in [local city] ISD. We know that consideration of professional endeavors often involves difficult decisions and we appreciate your time and efforts in submitting your application. As we sought a replacement for the current teacher, we were looking for the ideal combination of experience, skills, and flexibility of teaching fields to complete the current team. An applicant has been chosen and will fill the position as an employee after Board approval.

Thank you for considering [local city] ISD as a component of your professional pursuits. We appreciate your interest in [local city] schools and we wish you well in your endeavors.

Long term sub

Preface

There is a kind of substitute teaching gig called Long Term Sub (LTS) in which the sub covers for a teacher for weeks or months.

An LTS has a classroom, students, and a curriculum. It's effectively short-term teaching rather than placeholding in the "teacher has a day off" category.

Alt cert candidates consider LTS to be a stepping stone to a teaching job.


Why I'm telling you this

I have an LTS position in RISD that will run Aug-Nov, then it's back to day-to-day subbing. It is not in my field of certification but I look forward to the challenge.

The teaching job market is just vicious right now. A principal recently told me that it used to be common for teachers to get pregnant and quit teaching. Now they come back after the kid is born because their husband lost his job and they need the benefits.

[edited to correct spelling and to remove a few sentences that sounded harsher than I intended.]

Reject!

Got my second ISD rejection letter today.

I am being optimistic about it, and noting that to reject my app they at least had to know it existed. So that's better than nothing.

Newest sub in town

Got my badge, parking pass, and login. Picked up 4 assignments today; first one is tomorrow AM. Will let you know how it goes.

The week pays off

I passed the TExES PPR exam, completed the substitute teaching course at Region10, and finally got the details worked out for subbing in RISD. Badge pics and fingerprints Monday.

pulled the trigger

Holy Crap.

I have been moaning and whining for a year about how the (probably illegal) unpaid overtime at my job was interfering with my ability to test, take classes, and apply to ISDs as an intern teacher. We had literally been working "extended hours" for the past 12 months straight. Literally. Before that it was at least on again, off again so we could get a little rest.

When I interviewed for that job they mentioned occassional overtime. "Sure," I said, "there are situations that require overtime. But if overtime becomes normal then there is something wrong with the situation." There was something wrong with the situation. *

So I put my money where my mouth is. I paid off my debts**, socked away enough to survive for a while, and quit my day job. I have bet my future on my ability to teach, and find work teaching. If I were not confident in my abilities I wouldn't have done this in the middle of a giant economic crash, DISD layoffs, etc.

My last day was Jan 15th. I have had two incredibly productive days since then, meetings with Region10, Richardson ISD, got biz cards printed up, rounded up references, etc.

My hat is in the ring for substitute teaching in RISD; I hope to use this to:

• bring in some small $$$
• get classroom experience
• make my name and face known to the teachers and administration

Today I am reworking my resume and submitting apps through the Region10 website. Will let y'all know how it goes.

BloggerMouse.



* I came home and threw away my headset. I will do my best not take another callcenter job in this, or any other, lifetime.
** mortgage and student loans remain, the so-called ('good debt')

Passed the TeXes, Thanksgiving

I took the Texas exam for Social Studies 8-12 proficiency (American History, World History, Geography, Social Studies proper, economics, etc) on Nov 8 and got my test back yesterday.

I passed.

This was not a foregone conclusion; it requires an 80% score and many of the questions were of the "which of the following correct answers is the best answer" variety. Being a Philosophy minor, I get in trouble with such situations because I want to argue for several different points of view.

Anyhow, I am grateful for having past. On this Thanksgiving I am aware of the small victories.

More bottling

I bottled 10 gallons yesterday; 5gal of batch[20] Wall-e Weizen (named because I brewed it the day we say that movie), and 5gal of batch[21] Trainwreck MMA mild ale.

I tasted one of the bottles from bach[18] Farmhouse and it was rustic, rough (in a good way, as in "not refined") and satisfying.

I also am moving to .5L bottles. I scavenged a few hundred .5L german bottles that should be enough to keep 5-6 batches in rotation.

And I got word that my teaching accreditation application was finally accepted. I have an orientation in a couple of weeks. Will post more on that later.