7 posts tagged “work”

I did not get the job that I interviewed for last week. I never heard about the second one, so I assume I did not get that one either. My mother knows a teacher at one of the schools where I interviewed. She asked her what went wrong so I could change things in my next interview. The reason? The principal could not get in touch with my California references.

I racked my brains thinking about who I could use as references instead. I thought about getting letters of reference instead. Then, I realized.

They didn't start back to school until this week, and he was calling last week.

I can't catch a break.

I have an interview! An interview for a REAL TEACHING JOB!!! Can you tell that I'm feeling good about this? I can't say that I'm excited because I've had too many interviews at this point where I didn't get the job to feel excited about it. I'm not sure if I even feel optimistic. It just is. It's on Monday at 11:30 a.m. It's one of the next counties over. I'd still have a bit of a commute, but not as much as I currently do. I am also still hoping/expecting a call from the 'ville where my parents live. There is an opening at an elementary school there. They were supposed to interview before Christmas, but rescheduled due to weather and late applications(mine, definitely! Possibly other people, too). 

In the meantime, this job that I have is not bad at all. I've made some mistakes--missing medications for one of the participants in the house where I was working--but I've also had some triumphs--convincing the 23-year-old not to wear a seriously short skirt to a church-sponsored coffee house and discovering that one of the ladies likes knitting. She talks to herself/has hallucinations, and she doesn't talk to herself while she's knitting. I thought I would cry I was so happy to have made her happy. The program director praised me effusively for finding this out and giving her yarn/needles. Cuz I'm awesome. I would really love the chance to revamp their structured day program as well. I'd use all the staff that they have, make sure that everyone has their needs being met, etc. They have people who don't have a background in education doing their program. What are they thinking? I wish I could pitch it so that I could design the programs for all their facilities, not just the one nearby. That's kind of arrogant, isn't it?

And I have to go get ready for work. I plan to post about my achievements from last year and my goals for this year tomorrow!

So ends my first week of actual work at this job I've taken. Honestly, there's not really enough to do to keep me busy. I don't like that because it makes the day creep by. Hopefully, we'll take people out tonight and it will eat up some of the time. Then again, taking them out could be a bad experience...

I'm feeling tired. I'm also feeling more than a little sad because of the quality of care for people who have any kind of disability. People who are overqualified end up moving on to other jobs. So, what's left? People who are there to get a paycheck and don't really care about the people. I shadowed people for the first 3 days of this week. I have to say that my training was not very good on that front. It's horrible! And it makes me guilty for wanting to jump ship as soon as I possibly can.

There's a job opening where my parents live. I'm hoping to score that job, but I'm definitely not feeling very optimistic. I haven't had much luck so far. I've begun wondering if the fact that I don't have a Master's Degree has anything to do with it. I've been not qualified for two positions because I don't have a Master's degree. The longer it takes to find a job as a teacher, the more discouraged I'm going to end up. It really sucks.

Anyway. Have to go do other stuff so that I don't keep thinking about how much I want the job that I am trained for, the job that I am good at. It's cold in the apartment, so I'm going to go snuggle back up under the covers and read! Sounds like a good alternative to stressing about a job that I don't even have an interview for. Yet.

how much I truly enjoy teaching.

I had my first sub job today.  It was night and day from the elementary where I taught in Los Angeles.  There were only 17 students in the class, as opposed to the 34 cap for 5th grades in LAUSD.  They knew about history!!  There was an actual PE teacher to teach them and I didn't have to do it!!!  They didn't complain about doing work or ask why they had to learn it!!!  They didn't talk the entire time I was talking!!!  They (mostly) did their work without me having to ride them all the time!!!  They worked INDEPENDENTLY!!!  That was a real trip.  It was so much different.  I even emailed one of my teacher friends in LA to tell her about it.  She said that it was like the Twilight Zone.  I totally agree.

But it really made me realize how much I love teaching.  I didn't think I missed it.  I love sleeping in.  I enjoy having time to do whatever I want.  I miss the sounds, the spending time with the students, the challenge of finding a way to get it across in a different way so that everyone understands.  I miss interacting with other teachers, the lunch room chats.  I miss the copy machines and the work room conversations while you're waiting for the copy machines. 

I really need a job!

I love kids, don't get me wrong.  But they take sooo much energy!  I babysat for my friend who has a 1-year-old today.  It wasn't really that hard.  Change a few diapers, feed her, make sure that she doesn't put things into her mouth that she's not supposed to.  I am seriously wiped out.  I actually think that it's more because I didn't get enough sleep last night than because I was babysitting.  I need to get up and get moving at a reasonable time tomorrow, so I'm trying to stay up until a decent bedtime.  You know, 9 or 10. 

On another note, I finally signed up for the sub phone system in my county.  I've been getting calls off and on since I did.  I was even offered a job for tomorrow.  No surprise--the majority of teacher absences are on Mondays and Fridays.  I've got too many errands to run and I'm having lunch with a friend tomorrow.  I also want to leave town in time so that I miss the Friday traffic.  I'll sub next week.  And I should know about this job I interviewed for tomorrow.

I found out that no Ky. pharmacy will refill my prescription because it's over a year old.  Grrr!  It seems like a day-long pursuit to find a free/low-cost clinic just to get a silly prescription refilled.  I'm glad that I have a lot of my migraine prescription!  I have a feeling they would want to do a lot of tests first.  Of course, it would be really nice if I could just get a stinkin' job with health insurance!!!

My brother made breakfast for his fiancee this morning.  Sweet of him, but blech.  I don't particularly want to hear about him being sweet and romantic.  At least he still is sometimes after they've been together for 4 years!  I'm just not feeling the romance these days.  And very content that way, thank you very much!

I got a job.  It's a job that I'm sure I'll enjoy--I love working with children and youth.  It's a job as a youth counselor at a group home.  It's second shift, which I am not at all enthusiastic about.  I like my evenings at home watching tv.  It also curtails my social life, which is starting to pick up.  The biggest downside to it?  It pays pocket change.  I don't know how people can make it on that kind of salary.  Probably most of the people they employ are still in college and can make it on that kind of salary.  Me, not so much.  I have too much debt.  I am supposed to start training next Monday, October 6th.

My dad called Friday, and there's an opening in his school district.  It sounds like it's tailor-made for me.  Plus, it pays a "normal" amount of money.  I have an interview(but no guarantee of a job, of course) next Tuesday at 2 pm.

The problem?  I have to choose one or the other.  I don't get to do both, unless I lie and say that I have a doctor's appointment or something.  I don't feel comfortable with that.  On top of it, I came home feeling more than a little depressed after having signed my new hire paperwork for the job. 

My instinct is to go to the interview and forget about the job I've got.  It's what I'm qualified for, what I want to do.  It looks like I am going to have to cash out my retirement anyway, so I'd rather wait for a job that I want, not one that doesn't pay my bills. 

Maybe I should buckle down and write the great American novel now!  NaNoWriMo, here I come!  LOL.

I've been checking the website not quite daily, but fairly frequently lately.  I'd had to re-send my undergraduate transcripts to them, and they got them on Monday.  I checked today, and my application had been approved!  What a relief!  That's one less thing I have to worry about. 

But wow, it makes it so much more real.  Two more months now.  Less than, I think.  Only a month of school left, then vacation!  Crazy.  I'm so jealous--my family's already finished, or will be in a couple of days.  Nowhere near as long as me.  It will go by in a heartbeat, I'm sure.

One of my coworkers is also leaving, joining the Peace Corps.  She's having a much harder time of it than I am.  I'm mostly happy.  She's been really sad.  She's not only leaving her job, she's leaving her family as well.  I absolutely adore her, admire her, and will miss her next year.  It's really hard for me to see her unhappy. 

I actually had a pretty good day yesterday.  I didn't stress out about the creative writing class.  We told ghost stories.  I don't personally believe in ghosts, but something I've learned about the Hispanic culture is that they do, and they're absolutely fascinated by it.  They are so quiet when you tell ghost stories.  It's the quietest they've been all year long.  Awesome, and a great finish to the week.