Today was the first day of certification classes, which was interesting. More on that at some point. During lunch today, however, the big news happened...
I got an offer from the high school I interviewed with on Monday. So that's very good. I also asked some of the people running the certification program about the school (which will henceforth be referred to as My High School, or MHS) and the reviews were uniformly non-negative. Which is really very good, given that all the options for participants in the career-changers program are "high risk" or "high needs" schools, virtually all of which get some pretty negative reviews. So MHS is in the front row of the second tier, to use a Bob Uecker line. Also, I really liked both the principal and assistant principal, so that's good. I haven't accepted the offer yet, but it's only a matter of time.
I'm pretty excited. Now, it's on to the really annoying stuff, like finding an apartment that is simultaneously in my price range and not so disgusting I can't live with myself living there.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Today
Feels like the first day of school. (I start certification classes today.) I have my lunch box, my backpack and my brand new pad of paper. All I'm missing is a handful of sharpened no. 2 pencils.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
This is how the world begins... not with a bang but a whimper.
I'm back in Home State, waiting for news about my job interview and looking at places to live relatively near that school, based on the assumption I'll get an offer. The interview was with the assistant principal and went very well. I think I mentioned I had met the principal of the school during the career-changers program interview process, and was impressed with him. Apparently the feeling was mutual, at least according to the assistant principal in our conversation yesterday. As for next steps, the two of them will discuss their impressions, and then we'll all wait for the hiring freeze to be lifted, which should happen any day now.
I'm struggling mightily with the feeling of being in limbo -- not really knowing where I live, not knowing whether to tell people here that I'm back, not knowing exactly what to tell people at the place I just left what my status is or will be, etc., and not knowing for sure when I'll know any of those things. Everything right now seems to be a "maybe," and it's making me nuts. Also, I really, really dread the moving process.
I'm struggling mightily with the feeling of being in limbo -- not really knowing where I live, not knowing whether to tell people here that I'm back, not knowing exactly what to tell people at the place I just left what my status is or will be, etc., and not knowing for sure when I'll know any of those things. Everything right now seems to be a "maybe," and it's making me nuts. Also, I really, really dread the moving process.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Back to Home State
Today is the last weekday I will be in Current State before returning to Home State to begin certification classes, so unless I get a call today asking me to interview at a school here, I will not be teaching this year in Current State.
I do, however, have an interview at a high school in Home State on Monday afternoon. The principal is new, but sat in on my final interview with the career-changers program, and asked to interview me for a math job. So that's looking pretty good.
I've told E I'm unlikely to remain in Current State, but he is at camp until next week, so I won't see him before I leave. I have KB this weekend, and will let her know I'm moving back to Home State. Sigh.
All that said, I'm excited to get started.
I do, however, have an interview at a high school in Home State on Monday afternoon. The principal is new, but sat in on my final interview with the career-changers program, and asked to interview me for a math job. So that's looking pretty good.
I've told E I'm unlikely to remain in Current State, but he is at camp until next week, so I won't see him before I leave. I have KB this weekend, and will let her know I'm moving back to Home State. Sigh.
All that said, I'm excited to get started.
Monday, July 20, 2009
No News
I had a conversation yesterday with a guy here in Current State interested in becoming a math or science teacher. (His wife worked for my ex-wife. [Pause] The second one, thanks for asking.) Anyway, it turns out he's been interested in teaching high school for over a year and has completed an application with one of the counties in the metro area, but didn't know about the career-changers program. I now don't feel so bad about having missed the deadline by a week.
I'm still kicking myself for that, however, because I believe I would be a shoo-in for a job if I'd gotten into the program, as I did in Home State. As it is, I now have one week remaining in Current State, during which time I need to get an interview and a job offer in order to stay here. Otherwise, it's back to Home State to start taking the certification course and waiting for job offers there.
I'm still kicking myself for that, however, because I believe I would be a shoo-in for a job if I'd gotten into the program, as I did in Home State. As it is, I now have one week remaining in Current State, during which time I need to get an interview and a job offer in order to stay here. Otherwise, it's back to Home State to start taking the certification course and waiting for job offers there.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
More Good News
Current State: The largest county in the metro area where I currently reside just posted a generic math teacher opening -- not specific to one school, but county-wide. So I have gone through the standard reference-request, transcript-sending, ACE test-reporting song-and-dance for what will hopefully be the last time. There are now two weeks remaining prior to the first day of in-service training for teachers in current state, so whatever happens needs to happen soon.
Home State: The head of the career-changers program emailed me saying the new principal of one of the schools there wants to interview me, so that's significant progress. I think he's the principal who sat in on my interview earlier in the career-changers process, and if so, I liked him pretty well. The certification classes in Home State also start in two weeks, so something needs to happen soon there, too, although school doesn't actually start until August 20th.
Home State: The head of the career-changers program emailed me saying the new principal of one of the schools there wants to interview me, so that's significant progress. I think he's the principal who sat in on my interview earlier in the career-changers process, and if so, I liked him pretty well. The certification classes in Home State also start in two weeks, so something needs to happen soon there, too, although school doesn't actually start until August 20th.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Another Day, Another Mood Swing
Disappointed by the earlier information I got about Home State's hiring freeze, I wrote the person in charge of the Career Changers program asking whether she had any idea when the freeze might be lifted. I got a very encouraging response, including a reiteration that she was pretty confident I'd have a job at the beginning of the school year. So there's that.
Also, my conversation with a couple of teachers in Current State convinces me that, if I get any interview opportunities here, it will be no sooner than a week or so before they have to make a hire. Essentially, the principals are trying to hire experienced teachers, or lacking that, teachers who have gone through some training in advance of beginning to teach. Only as a last resort will they hire someone like me, who is qualified in the subject area but has no teaching experience or training. The situation is different in Home State because I'm in the training program there.
"No Child Left Behind" has also had the effect of creating a pool of unemployed but certified and experienced teachers all looking for jobs in the 4 to 6 weeks prior to the start of school. Here's my understanding of how that happens. (Caveat: like everything else associated with the public school system, I am only about 50% confident I actually understand the process, in part because virtually every explanation I see on official websites, etc. contradicts explanations I've found elsewhere.)
With that caveat...
No Child Left Behind requires all public schools to administer a state-wide standardized test annually to all students. Schools which receive Title I funding must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in test scores. Only test scores from certain grade levels "count" in assessing AYP.
If a Title I school fails to make AYP, then it is put on a list of "failing schools" published in the local paper and parents are given the option to transfer to another school. If it does not meet AYP for a second year, then it must provide special tutoring for its economically disadvantaged students.
Most relevantly for this blog post, teachers in schools which don't make AYP two years in a row have their contracts cancelled / not automatically renewed, and they must go through an interview process with the principal to retain their jobs. Presumably, they may also seek jobs at other schools at which there are openings, even if the principal at the current school would like to retain them. (I'm not 100% certain about this, but I believe it's correct.) Regardless, it means that when the test results come out shortly after the end of the school year, there are a few schools that must re-fill every teaching position in the school. (In Home County, there are at least 4 high schools (of 20) in this position.) It also enables principals to get rid of some bad teachers, assuming, of course, there are people available to fill those positions. So there's a big game of musical chairs happening in the two months between the scores coming out and the beginning of the school year. Meanwhile, those of us who are not yet in the game have to stand around waiting to see if there will be empty chairs remaining when the music stops.
So that's where I am now... waiting for the music to stop.
Also, my conversation with a couple of teachers in Current State convinces me that, if I get any interview opportunities here, it will be no sooner than a week or so before they have to make a hire. Essentially, the principals are trying to hire experienced teachers, or lacking that, teachers who have gone through some training in advance of beginning to teach. Only as a last resort will they hire someone like me, who is qualified in the subject area but has no teaching experience or training. The situation is different in Home State because I'm in the training program there.
"No Child Left Behind" has also had the effect of creating a pool of unemployed but certified and experienced teachers all looking for jobs in the 4 to 6 weeks prior to the start of school. Here's my understanding of how that happens. (Caveat: like everything else associated with the public school system, I am only about 50% confident I actually understand the process, in part because virtually every explanation I see on official websites, etc. contradicts explanations I've found elsewhere.)
With that caveat...
No Child Left Behind requires all public schools to administer a state-wide standardized test annually to all students. Schools which receive Title I funding must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in test scores. Only test scores from certain grade levels "count" in assessing AYP.
If a Title I school fails to make AYP, then it is put on a list of "failing schools" published in the local paper and parents are given the option to transfer to another school. If it does not meet AYP for a second year, then it must provide special tutoring for its economically disadvantaged students.
Most relevantly for this blog post, teachers in schools which don't make AYP two years in a row have their contracts cancelled / not automatically renewed, and they must go through an interview process with the principal to retain their jobs. Presumably, they may also seek jobs at other schools at which there are openings, even if the principal at the current school would like to retain them. (I'm not 100% certain about this, but I believe it's correct.) Regardless, it means that when the test results come out shortly after the end of the school year, there are a few schools that must re-fill every teaching position in the school. (In Home County, there are at least 4 high schools (of 20) in this position.) It also enables principals to get rid of some bad teachers, assuming, of course, there are people available to fill those positions. So there's a big game of musical chairs happening in the two months between the scores coming out and the beginning of the school year. Meanwhile, those of us who are not yet in the game have to stand around waiting to see if there will be empty chairs remaining when the music stops.
So that's where I am now... waiting for the music to stop.
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