Today would have been my first day of school with students had I found a teaching job here in Chicago. Since this morning I have fought back tears thinking of last year, my first year teaching. I keep pushing these thoughts aside hoping they will go away but they keep surfacing, so I figured I needed to write it out and get it all out there so I can move on.
It all started when I was cleaning out my voice mailbox this morning. I still have the voice mail where Principal Cindy Thomas offered me the job. It is the happiest, most joyful, encouraging message I've ever received and I plan on keeping it as long as I can.
I look back on this time last year, working at my apartment complex with a hostile boss wondering why God didn't give me a teaching job. I was so frustrated and down on myself, and it really didn't help that I hated going to work every day. I never really published this, but I was let go from that job in mid October. Thankfully, I had a job interview that day at a middle school for a PBI Assistant position (the interview was before I was let go, thank goodness). I didn't really want to work with middle schoolers, they were always 'weird' to me and I felt like I couldn't relate to them, but I wanted to get my foot in the educational world. I think the interview was a Wednesday or Thursday and I was offered the job Saturday and started that Monday.
I loved that job! I ended up absolutely loving my students. I was around 6th, 7th, and 8th graders but mostly worked with 6th and 8th. I came home smiling every day, even though the days were challenging, it was extremely rewarding.
I was still checking the websites for teaching positions, mostly hoping to score some interview practice for the next year. I got an interview for a 1st grade position at a different Nampa school and did very well. They ended up giving the job to someone that student taught there but the principal gave me many compliments and said to use him as a reference for any other interviews.
Well, I used him alright! I saw the posting for a part time kindergarten teacher at Central and although I didn't want to work part time, again I figured it was practice interviewing and/or a foot in the door! I sent Cindy an email on a Friday introducing myself and name-dropped. I got a phone call that afternoon from Cindy asking me to come in to interview!! She said they already interviewed 3 people (Nampa schools are required to interview at least 3 people) but she was willing to wait until Monday to interview me because of my recommendation from the other principal.
Monday came, I interviewed, and although I didn't feel like the interview was great, I had a feeling I got the job. The next day I went with my parents and grandma to a winery and on the way home my amazing voice mail came through. I immediately started crying and called Phil at work to tell him the great news. I had about a week and a half (half a week of which was holiday) to prepare before I had students.
Fast forward a little bit...the staff at Central was SO welcoming, many people went out of their way to introduce themselves, offer help, and made me feel at home. My first day with students came and went quickly and I knew I was where I was supposed to be. For the most part the staff wanted to be there and made work fun. I was remembering my first Friday at the school the secretary played the annoying yet catchy "Friday" song over the intercom and it put me (and I hope everyone else) in a great mood. Now every time I hear that song I think of that day.
I could go on and on and on about the amazing people I worked with, how encouraging Cindy was, and how I miss my little kiddos that are 1st graders now. But, I'm going to stop because I'm crying again and it hurts just a little too much right now.
Thank you to everyone at Central, my students, their parents, my husband, family, and my God for the fantastic time I was able to spend as a Central Elementary School Teacher.
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