*SIGH*

Today is the first day of school in our not-really-quite-new-any-more home town. Some other nearby districts have been going for two weeks already. And I'm not in the classroom with new students. I'm disappointed, of course. I'm especially concerned because I didn't get any interviews this year, which is a first.

Still, I'm philosophical. Now that my wife has a job, I can at least afford to sub. And now that I'm already established in the local district, I can get started right away, possibly as early as this week (must pay attention to the substitutes' website...). We'll need to save up a bit to get through the summer, but it's certainly manageable. So now I just have to concentrate on doing the best job that I can.

But I'm not going to limit myself to just teaching this year. It's clear that I need to make some changes, so here are some I plan to make:

1. Talk to someone in human resources. I'd like to get some insight into how a district hires and what they're looking for, and what I can do to make myself look better.
   
2. Make some connections. Last year was pretty much about getting my feet back under myself again. Now I hope to talk to some of the teachers I've filled in for and some principals and see about what I need to do to show what I can do and get some more up-to-date references.
   
3. Keep looking. I've been interviewed, and even hired, well after school started, so it's entirely possible that something else will turn up. I hope to put myself in a good position should that opportunity arise again.
   
4. Look outside the box. Let's face it, despite how much I like my job, and how good some people have said I am, I may just not be cut out for it. So I'm also going to keep an eye on other jobs. I don't necessarily plan to change careers, but if the right opportunity should arise, I would be smart to at least investigate it.
   

I at least have one opportunity coming up. I'm interviewing for an after school tutoring job later this week. This sounds like a lot better deal than my last tutoring job, as it's only a couple of hours, not five, and it would be local. The biggest drawback might be fitting it into my schedule, particularly on days when I'm subbing at an elementary school. But should I get the job, we can work something out, I'm sure. And it will be a little extra money to save up for some of the big things we'd like to get, such as my badly needed new computer, or fixing my car.

I am looking forward to getting back to work, but I just wish I'd already been working getting my room and lessons ready for today...