Now that I have a new job...

The waiting is the hardest part. The paperwork is on its way, and all of a sudden my full summer is looking pretty crowded, even before I start the job. Laura and I have to at least pack up and clean enough to make the house presentable to show potential buyers in a little over a week. (Right now, however, it looks like a hurricane hit our living room!) We also have to find a new place to live in the area, and I'll have some training in my new curriculum to take care of as well. This is on top of my usual trip to a convention in California and one of my favorite events, the Olympics. We'll probably need to make a trip or two over to our new area before moving over. But at least today I felt confident enough to e-mail just about everyone I know about the job, stop the application process in other districts where I had an active application, and remove the links to my old substitute jobs' websites.

I got the job!

Things are finally looking up! That job interview on Friday? I must have done something right, because they offered me the job earlier this afternoon! My wife and I are really psyched about this, because it just felt so right to both of us. So yes, we're going to spend much of the summer packing up and moving, and I have some training for the new math curriculum as well. I just hope I can live up to everyone's expectations, including my own...

Summertime, and things are just getting started

It's been particularly busy over the past few weeks. Last week was the last week of school at the local junior high, so I had final grades to prepare, things to tidy up, and all the rest of that stuff. The school also had it's year-end carnival and talent show. It was all a great experience, and I am extremely happy that I could do it. The principal was a great resource, too. She observed me a couple of times and gave me some terrific, constructive feedback, as well as writing a nice letter of recommendation.

As for the job hunt, it still goes on. I had another phone interview a couple of weeks ago, but never heard back. I've also gotten a few nibbles of interest, but no progress there yet, either. The big news is that on Friday, I had another in-person interview. This was a small, poor, rural, mostly Hispanic high school in the south-central part of the state. The principal called beforehand and told me it would only take about half an hour, but the interview itself lasted about an hour, which I hope means they liked me. They also gave me a tour beforehand (I got there early), and the head of the math department showed Laura and me some of the instructional materials afterwards, and we chatted about the program and the students some more. I think that's a good sign. Laura, getting bored with waiting for me, also talked to some of the people running the basketball tournament going on there, and she had a really good feeling about the whole thing. I haven't been this excited about a potential job for a long time, and I really hope I get it. I know I didn't hit a home run with my answers, but I still like my odds, too. We shall see. I should know by the end of this week.

But I'm also not going to count my chickens. Now that it's summer, I plan to get even more serious about the job hunt. My goal is to fill out an application a day, and then work on decluttering the house so that, if we need to move, it will be easier to do. That is going to be how I spend my summer vacation!