I'm an Official Teacher

Greetings,

I was able to secure a position at a low-income high school. Things haven't gone as planned, but I have been trying to live up to the everyday challenge of working in this atmosphere.

It Happened!

Well, I haven't posted much lately because of work and trying to keep things on the down-low. In response to that, I just wanted to say that I finally accepted my first position as a band director! It will be challenging, but I look forward to the challenge that has been given to me. Now, off to write letters to parents, handbooks, and more!

Britt

Interview Time

Howdy,

Well I have another interview on Thursday. Hopefully all goes well!

I had an almost guaranteed position, but it was too far from my family and I actually turned it down. Better luck next time.

If things do not turn out, I have a substitute position at BA that would give me experience in the classroom. I went to the workshop and it sounds fun, but I can't wait until I have my own classroom. Exciting. :)

Substitute

Well, I applied for substitute positions around Green Country. I am set up for BA, but I am still applying for full time positions. Every denial is pushing me more towards elementary, but I know I probably shouldn't. We'll see. Until then, I get to drive back and forth between Shawnee and BA. I hope to have a place here soon, but without an income, it is hard to pay moving costs.

I will keep this updated as much as I can. Until next time.


Britt

Working On It

Yesterday, I decided to take a break from the job hunt and go fishing. I like fishing because I can get away, be in the outdoors, and can earn my dinner. Yesterday was no different. I bought my supplies and was on my way down to Konawa, OK where there was good prospects of catching some fish. Beforehand though, I got another email saying that the position you applied for requires more experience, so I was a little down. I get there and let me tell you, it was gorgeous (except for the extreme amount of goose poop). One of the first sights I found was a white heron and a pretty blue lake.

After I got set up, I sat in my new chair and threw out my line and what do I do? I get hung up on some cattails. Frustrating, but I moved to the dock in the picture above and had more luck. Now that I think about it, my getting hung up has a similarity to looking for a job. You get all excited at the possibility of being a new teacher with a new life ahead of you, and when you put yourself out there and are shot down, all you can do is move on for better prospects. It may have not been a good fit anyway.

Yes, I am being all philosophical right now, but this whole fishing excursion could be a metaphor for a career. 

Get up and get ready- education/college

Casting out your line- submitting resumes

retrieval-  landing a job (or a fish)

dinner (and a nice tanline)- the rewards of finding a job that provides your living

It was hot as the day went on, but I had my ice chest full of cherry Coke Zero (although I should've brought water bottles) and my sunscreen and I had a blast. I ended up catching a medium sized crappie and a 13 inch 1.5lb largemouth bass; both of which are resting comfortably in my fridge. :)

I got to catch up on some reading while I was at it. I got to the point where the stupid gnat like bugs were just too much and moved to a picnic area and sat under a picnic table under a shady tree. Unfortunately, the bugs followed me (I don't know if it was my sunscreen or bug spray). All-in-all, it was a great trip. I had fun, got to relax, and caught some good fish. I hope all those teachers who are looking for jobs can take a day off and enjoy themselves. 

Britt

Lack of Positions

I am in the process of finding a teaching position for the 2013-2014 school year. There are times where I think that I may have to be a substitute for a year before getting my own classroom, and then there are times where I get real excited about a new job opening.


But today I'm in the middle ground. I'm waiting for my next interview, call backs from a previous one, and positions to open up. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me. I realize that music education, specifically secondary, limits my possibilities, but it's hard knowing that you worked hard for 4 years to be set back by a lack of positions. I see multiple possibilities for elementary music, but I do not have that education or that desire, but now I wish I did.

It's hard.

First Post!

It has been awhile since I blogged anything, but I think with this new adventure, I should write things down to amuse and benefit other educators and peoples.

Things you will find on this blog:

Funny stories
Rants and Raves
Recommendations
Advertising for my products, projects and lesson plans

Speaking of my products and projects, I am developing what I call the "Ultimate Teacher Resource Book." I haven't found much commercial teacher resource books that include calenders, grade book spaces, and other various resources, so I decided to create my own. I spent an entire night searching teacherspayteachers.com for various formats of what I wanted to include in this book. I decided upon a grade book format and parent communication log with the rest of the contents my own creation. Both of those formats I adjusted and customized them to my specifications. For my color scheme,  I love blue and green, so I made the colors bright blue and green with a specific font throughout. Here is the table of contents from my book.


Academic Calender
      Year
     Month
     Week
Grade Book
Notes  (for meetings and ideas)
Appendices
     Lesson Plan Format
     Parent Communication Log

I plan to have coil binding and easy access tabs. I also hope to have it 3 hole punched to allow it to be inserted into a binder that can hold class rosters, lesson plans, and parent communication logs. I want my classroom and desk to be organized, and I know other teachers have the same ideas. I want to also provide this book at a cheap rate because everybody knows that teachers are underpaid and undervalued. Also, I want this book to be customizable in areas such as grade book subject amounts and covers.

Right now, I don't have a finished project, but all it needs is to be binded and have covers and tabs.

So, who would be interested in this book? Leave your comments and concerns in the comments.