My neighbors gave my mom and me a wonderful luncheon yesterday. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such kind people. These are the same friends who bring over meals.
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I was featured in a college textbook called Literature and the Child (7th Edition) for something I did with my middle school students. That was exciting to see.

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More chemo tomorrow.
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"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

Maybe next year

Just a little pick-me-up...for me anyhow.

Last year, just before my breast cancer diagnosis hit, I was offered a really great part-time job teaching middle school students again. Obviously, I had to quit before I even got started.

Now I had already decided that this year that I was not going to return to work. With all the reconstruction I was going to have done, and just a newfound peace about staying at home and not working, I was actually quite content with my decision. Something in the back of my mind (ha, ha) just clicked and I realized that being with my kids right now was just what I needed to do. Obviously, God was preparing my heart and mind for what was to come.

But yesterday, the principal contacted me again to see if I'd be interested in returning this year. Of course my answer is no, and I would have said No with or without my new tumor, but it did lift my spirits to know that professionally, I'm still wanted. Well, maybe. I think possibly a prerequisite for teaching adolescents is to have a full brain!

Hitting the books again...sorta.

Despite the fact that :

A. I was certified and taught middle school in Massachussets for 2 years AND

B. I passed all proper tests to be certified to teach middle and high school in New Jersey for the four years that I taught there, AND

C. I taught 6th - 9th grade at a charter school in Minnesota for 2 years AND

D. I now have my Masters Degree in English Curriculum and Instruction,

according to the state of Minnesota, I'm not actually qualifed to teach all the grades in middle school.

Apparently, I have one class, The American Middle School, that I must pass to earn my middle school certification in "Communication Arts." It's offered this fall, and is taught by a middle school principal in the area.

With nothing else pending at the moment, I decided to go ahead and register. So yes, I'm a student...again!

Interview Blues

You know why I like to write....because I can EDIT!

Which is why I don't really like speaking so much...especially when you're put on the spot and expected to come up with intelligent answers...like in an interview...because you can't go back and change anything.

All you can do is play over and over again in your mind all your dumb answers and what you should have said instead.

Obviously, the interview didn't go as well as I would have liked. It wasn't really bad, but I just felt that I fumbled over a lot of my answers and I just didn't feel prepared for such in depth questions for a library assistant. I've always come out of my teaching interviews feeling incredibly good and confident....once I've landed the interview, I've always gotten the job...but I didn't feel that sense of victory this time around.

Oh well, I'll find out Thursday, when the middle school director is supposed to call me.

Interview tomorrow

As most of you know, last year, after 3 years of taking off to stay home with my kiddos, I was all ready to return to work. I had a part time job, teaching middle school language arts at a nearby school district. After my very first day of district training, I received the phone call from my doctor that I had breast cancer. Needless to say, I didn't return to work that year.

I decided last year that in addition to getting through all my treatments, I'd take the next year off as well, since I'd still be having extensive reconstructive surgery that I'd need some recovery time for, as well as many doctor appointments. Plus, because of my diagnosis, I've had this nagging feeling in my mind that God didn't want me to have that job, so maybe returning to work isn't what I should be doing (but that is a post for another day).

However, no matter what my gut feeling has been, each week I look in the paper at the classifieds....partly out of habit, partly to see what's out there, and partly in hopes that the perfect job, one that will allow me time for my family as well as giving me the opportunity to actually use my degree, would be posted that given week. I haven't actively persued anything. I haven't searched the website/newspaper in the other Twin City that contains more jobs. I haven't looked at individual district's sites that posts more jobs than the newspapers reveal. I just quickly glance through the 2 to 3 columns of jobs to see if any pertain to me. None has.

Until 2 weeks ago.

That's when a job for a library assistant appeared before my eyes....at a very prestigious and expensive private school where I would love for my kids to attend. Now except for my love of adolescent literature and many research projects I've developed with my students, I don't have any "formal" library training. But this job listing didn't require a library science degree. Just someone who had some library experience and an interest in working with middle school and high school students.

Key to this job is that it's parttime. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...full days. But the rest of the week I'd have off.

The pay is crap, compared to what I'd get paid if I was teaching. However, I wouldn't have work to "take home" like a teaching job, and the job comes with benefits. Now I'm not sure what the benefits are, but I'm hoping, praying, that they involve something around tuition reduction if your child attends their school. Now that would be the ultimate benefit.

I had a very brief phone interview with the middle school director. It was kinda funny because one of his questions basically asked me why, with my advanced degree and all the teaching jobs out there that I'm qualified for, why would I just want to be a library assistant. I kinda laughed and told him that I'm looking for a job that allows me to tap into my interest in adolescent literature and to work with middle school and high school students, without the full time committment that a teaching job requires.

I'm actually kinda nervous about my interview. Because I have never interviewed for a library position before, I have no clue what they're going to ask me, and I don't have a prepared portfolio to use to help show my talents for the position. I'm afraid they're going to ask me about a bunch of books I'd suggest, and I'll just go blank under pressure. I don't have a huge amount of experience with high school book suggestions, especially for advanced high school students, so that worries me as well.

I guess instead of writing about my worries, I really should be preparing for this interview. And praying that God helps me through this ordeal and makes it clear the path that I should follow by way of a fulfilling job.

There may also be some childcare issues and surgery recovery issues that I'll have to figure out if I get the job. But I figure that I'll shoot for getting an offer first, and deal with the other issues later.

So right now, a toast of red wine...and then I think I better go figure out who exactly I'm interviewing with. Would be nice if I knew the guy's name when I go into the school office, don't ya think?

Doing a lot

These next few weeks are going to be BUSY for me.

We're going to be traveling soon...to Florida. And since the weather people are actually calling for possible snow this weekend (it was 75 degrees yesterday!), I'm more than happy to leave this state. But with that means a lot preparation, since all of the packing is my responsibility. Although Max has an assortment of Cameron's old summer clothes to choose from, Cameron and Ella both need new shorts and such. Plus everyone needs sandals and swimsuits. I'm not complaining at all. Just stating that I have a lot to do.

Also, I haven't mentioned this before, but for the past few months, I've been working on a project for a friend of mine who is a literacy professor at a university (Hi L!). I've been developing middle school and high school booklists and gathering information for each book to be used on a website to help teachers in their classrom. I REALLY enjoy doing this, since it keeps me connected to Adolescent literature while I am out of the classroom, and I think when finished, the site will be an amazing resource. But it's also a lot of work (mainly because I'm quite the inefficient worker). I've already asked for an extension on the due date of my work, so I need to just stick with my new deadline...which is the end of this month!!!! I really need to buckle down these next few days and just work, work, work.

And furthermore, our town's big Garage Sale is in 2 weeks. My Bible study group is participating in the sale in order to raise money to pay our babysitters while we meet each week to delve into the Word and support each other while we discover God's plan for our lives. I'm hosting this 9-family sale. So not only do I need to really start going through all my "treasures," but I also need to start organizing everyone else's stuff as they begin to drop their items off.

Plus, I do have 3 kids to take care of, and a husband to try to spend time with, and some clothes to wash and meals to make, etc.

My point of this blog is, if you haven't heard from me, I'm sorry! I KNOW that I owe some of you phone calls and e-mails. I know that I'm supposed to arrange some meetings with some of my acquaintances. I have on my mind the packages I need to send to my friends and family members who have just had their own little bundles of joy. So I apologize, sincerely, that I haven't responded to people in a timely manner. It's NOT because I've forgotten about you or am ignoring you.

Give me 3 weeks, please oh please, 3 weeks and I'll get my act together. If after then I haven't responded to you, then you may send me hate mail and rude messages. Then, I certainly deserve them!

Alpha Ella

Ella basically knows all her letters and sounds.

I wish I could say it's because I'm a teacher.

I wish I could say that it's because I stay home and create all these great learning opporunities for her.

I wish I could take credit for it.

But the reason she knows them is not due to my wonderful parenting skills, but rather because of my lack thereof.

She knows her letters and sounds because everyday she insists on watching this.

Now if only Leapfrog would come out with a video on using the toilet, or not having temper tantrums. Now that would be wonderful.

Not Teaching

Four weeks ago, I was meeting with my partner teacher, discussing the curriculum I was to teach this year. I was a bit nervous about starting at 2 new buildings, but just so excited to get back into the classroom (after a 3 year hiatus to have babies) to work the minds of those teenagers, introducing new books, getting some great writing out of them, etc. And then I came home to my cancer diagnosis. And I knew what I had to do.

A lot of people asked me if I was still going to teach, and my husband tried to convince me that I could still do it. But I didn’t even hesitate…I knew I had to quit. Kids, especially teenagers, need consistency. They need a teacher who would be there day in and day out, both mentally, physically and emotionally. I knew that wasn’t going to be possible with me, so I did what I had to do.

Plus, who knew how much of my energy would be sapped by all the “stuff” I’d be going through. And any that I had left needed to be given to my own kids and husband. There was no doubt in my mind that I needed to just quit.

Although the decision was easy, the ramifications of that decision is not. One of the reasons why I had to get back into the classroom was because I was bored. Cooking and cleaning up and other household duties are just that to me…duties. Not fun. Not stimulating. Just boring work. But teaching is a challenge. It’s exciting and it’s fun. It’s also very hard and very time consuming and there are many days when I wish I didn’t have to face the attitudes and the parents and the apathy. However, overall I gain a lot of my self-worth and energy from the positive results of my planning and teaching…from the students themselves.

But I did have to laugh yesterday when I received my first (and last) paycheck from the district where I was employed for one day. That day that I worked on curriculum, I actually got paid for. I honestly feel guilty cashing it…but it will be used for something good. Also this week, my teaching license for Minnesota finally made it through the renewal process. Great…except I don’t need it now. But I’ll hold onto it, keep it in a safe place, because in a year or two, it will still be valid, and I WILL actually put it to good use.

The envelope please...

With all the medical whirlwind of this week (and more to come that I'll explain tomorrow), I haven't even posted my decision about whether or not to take on a 2nd class to teach.

I took both jobs.

So now I'm .4...that's almost 1/2 a job!

And today I met with the second principal, who immediately offered me a laptop to use.

Needless to say, so far, I'm glad I accepted.

I also received a phone call today from the same district who wanted to know if I would accept a temporary English teaching position. They didn't know that I was already hired to teach at the middle schools.

Needless to say, I turned them down. But it sure feels good to be wanted.

Rock the Vote!

It started out as an interview, and soon turned into a job. One class a day, English to 7th graders. Just right for me and for my family.

But on Friday I was presented with an option.

My principal referred a principal of another middle school in the district to me. His school also needs an English teacher to teach just one class. It's one the way to my new school. I could teach 5th period at one school, and then 7th period at the next school.

Except it's two different courses...8th English and 7th English.

I initially turned the offer down, because that means preparing for a completely different class. Which means a lot more work. But this weekend I've been battling my decision. And the principal told me to think about it over the weekend and call on Monday if I change my mind.

I'm starting to change my mind.

--I know I'm in a very fortunate situation.

--I don't need the money, so I don't have to take the extra class for financial reasons.
Although I'd like to justify a little more having a nanny. By teaching two classes I would be able to pay for Max's preschool and contribute to our nanny's salary. This actually means something to me.

--But I also feel like I'm being put up on a pedestal. Honestly, my new principal is bragging about me all over the place, when really, she doesn't know anything about me except what's on paper. What if I disappoint?

--This district wants us to use the textbook...the BORING textbook .....80% of the time. I did not realize this when I took the job...because I am NOT a textbook teacher. I use it as a resource, along with many other resources at my disposal, but never as the sole source of information.

--Also, when I turned down the principal, he seemed so disappointed, and I feel bad about this. He's really hoping I change my mind this weekend. That pleasing issue I have...haunts me all the time.

--And working in two schools is somewhat inintriguing to me. They're different demographics, so that in itself would make it interesting to compare how things are run. And then I'd have an "in" at 2 schools, in case I'd like to do more in the future. But then it's also a lot of rushing around to get things in order for each class, and then dealing with meetings and conferences and such for each school.

So what's your vote? Should I take the extra position or drop it? Let your voice be heard!