Interview at "awesome job" yesterday was not really an interview. The principal informed me that he didn't want to give me an advantage over the other candidates (who won't be interviewing for another 2 weeks) because he would want me to return for that interview session. Instead, we had a nice dialogue. He told me outright that I was the top candidate (then he corrected himself and said I was among the top 2 candidates; that, in his opinion, it was really between another girl and me). Wow. I know my resume and MySchool's name carry a lot of weight in my field (yay!) but I certainly wasn't expecting that lovely compliment.
After I talked with him (we met at 7AM -- I had to get up at 4am and leave by 5:30am), he took me to the choir room. Along the way, he introduced me to teachers in the hallway, explaining to each one that I was a candidate for the position. When he left me with the teacher (who's currently retiring from the position), he gave me permission to "roam the school, look around, etc." for as long as I wanted. (I don't know that I'll ever be that lucky again to have the opportunity to do that on an "interview"- the opportunity to poke through the library, pick the brains of potential colleagues, meet many of the kids, etc.)
I chatted with the teacher for a while, but then she and the choir kids left for a field trip. So I talked with the other teachers in the arts department. For a few hours. It really is my dream job in so many ways- supportive prinicipal (a former coach himself, he told me that music performances come before sports games), friendly and helpful colleagues, great system already in place, nice kids, mentoring from the previous teacher (she'll be around as a valuable resource), relatively familiar area ... the type of place where I could settle down.
And that last part ... the "nice place to settle down" is probably the reason I'm probably going to accept the assistantship instead of pursuing this job further. It's the type of job I'd love to have when I'm ready to settle down. And the thing is- I don't think I'm ready for that. I'm afraid that I might get too comfortable in this job and not desire more ... or ... that I'd be afraid to leave.
After one year in the teaching job, I'd have just that- a year of teaching experience. Invaluable? Yes. After one year with the assistantship, I'll have had personal mentoring on the skills on which I need the most work. More responsibility than I have now, but less than what I would have as a first year teacher. Good experience with someone to guide me along the way. A lifelong friend and mentor in the form of the Director of the Program. (Connections there too.) So I think that's where I belong. I feel so blessed to have these two opportunities, and I haven't even looked that hard yet! Imagine what else could be out there! I do want to explore it all. I don't want to settle down yet. So ... I think I've made my decision.
~*~*~*~
Other awesome news: I just found out today that I've been accepted to an international workshop for this summer! Yay!!!!! Three weeks in a "second-world" country where I don't speak the language, but I'll be learning so much in my field ... and networking ... and yay! Another stamp on the passport too. :-)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment