Transfers

It's time for the annual "Transferring of the Teachers." This is different from the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain, because bulls don't have to do interviews.

The list came up on Friday. All of the teaching jobs that are available in the district were listed. I wonder which group of teachers was pissed off the most, you might ask? I'll answer: it appears that elementary level teachers are leaving their posts in droves. Of course, there are more elementary schools than middle or high schools, but damn! It sure looked like a lot of postings to me.

So I scribby-scrolled through the lists, and chose the jobs I wanted. You may recall that a) my health is suffering and b) "I can't take this crap much longer," has entered my vocabulary a bit too often, therefore c) I need to transfer. I got really picky, though. I applied for three jobs:

1. Language Arts teacher: Online High School
2. Language Arts teacher: CEC
3. Language Arts teacher, IB program: High School

Please note the first one: that's the one I really want. It is so different, so removed from teaching in a classroom as I know it, that I believe I will be energized and renewed by it. That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it. And the more I think about it, the more benefits I see to teaching online:

• no sarcasm
• no cussing me out
• no setting the garbage can on fire
• no throwing spitwads, etc.
• no whining that I would be able to hear
• flexible scheduling
• snow day? no problem! I can still teach my class. Therefore, fewer sick days used up.
• wanna go to lunch? no problem! I can still teach my class.
• wanna blog? send email? chat? no problem!
  
• wanna sit and read a book that you want to teach? yes! do it! that's required!

I really, really, really want that job, but I'm trying not to want it too much, to avoid disappointment. Of course, I do want it too much, as evidenced by me using 3 "reallys."

The other jobs would be good, too. The CEC job would be good because it's college prep, and because the location is right along the Light Rail, so I wouldn't have to drive to work. Yay! Furthermore, the job description mentioned something about paying for mileage, which means I might be able to wring a bus pass out of them. Hmmm.

The third job would still be in a traditional high school, but it is in the International Baccalaureate (sp?) program, which translates into AP classes with a lot of rigor. Rrrrowwr.

So, here I sit, waiting for phone calls from principals for interviews. After 13 years of teaching, I still have that pang of worry, "Will they like me? Do they think I'm qualified?" Jesus H. Of course I'm qualified. If they don't like me, so what? They can suck it.

That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.


--groovygrrl, queen of job interviews