Long-term Job Update.

My long-term sub job has been great so far. It's nice not to think about where I'll be going in the morning. I like being able to walk in to a building that is familiar, with staff and students who know my name. Earlier this week, one of the kindergarteners handed me a folded-up piece of colorful artwork that was made just for me.

One of the permanent parapros could be doing a better job at being friendly towards me and a choice few others. It's an awkward and unnecessary element, but it's essentially her issue that seemingly stems from her hating her job. She is qualified and good at what she does. I wish she knew how lucky she is.

This particular district favors a behaviorist approach to discipline. I've enjoyed learning more about this approach. It's very rewarding when a behavior plan starts working. I want to learn more about this, and about autism spectrum disorders. Working with the same students for the next four weeks will benefit my own educational experience, which is why I'm grateful for this job!

Eastern Michigan's teacher job fair is tomorrow. I'm a little nervous about how it's going to play out. My shirt has been ironed and my portfolio assembled. I couldn't help but have a low-self esteem moment about my resume and what I feel it's lacking. But Darin assured me that I will soon have more to put in there. And I'm certain that most entry-level teachers can relate to this feeling. Teaching is a learn-by-doing job; I hope I show excellent of potential to the representatives tomorrow.

I'm trying to keep a Zen mindset tonight, and towards my whole job search in general. I'm going to trust that what will be will be and have faith that the right job will come around when it's time. Until then, I need to put my energies into the elements of my life that I can control. I can distribute my resume, gain daily experience, read pedagogy, enjoy my fleeting free time to persue my other interests, and etc. And of course, take time to practice gratitude for what I do have.

April Updates

I got offered a job at a local private summer day camp. I will be working with one other person, the director, who will also be my boss. It's not the best choice financially, but I know that I'm going to love it. I'll be outside for most of the day, and I'll be designing and implementing activities, which should be great experience.

The guy that I'm working with is also going into education, and he seems to have great character. I'm excited to actually like my coworker. It'll beat working at the restaurant, for sure. I've thought about putting applications in at restaurants. The money is tempting. But in the end, I need to stay focused on what the best choice would be for my career.

Speaking of my career, I'll be attending at least one teacher job fair next week. I'm in the process of putting together my portfolio and resumes. I've already picked out what I'm going to wear, too. I'm looking forward to it, for sure. At the very least, it will be great practice in presentation and interviewing. Who knows what could happen?