The Silver Lining

I have a job!

In a weird twist of events, one of the teachers at Charlie’s school left. To help the transition, the woman who worked in the office went upstairs to help in the classroom, thus leaving a position open for someone to work in the office. Thanks to Stacey’s recommendation, I immediately contacted the director of the school last Monday and started working there on Tuesday.

Working at Charlie’s schools is, let’s say, interesting. At the beginning, it confused him. “Why are you working at my school?” he repeatedly asked on the way in on Tuesday. Throughout the day, he frequently popped by the office to say “Hi Mommy” and make sure I was still there. By Thursday, he was ready to spend the day with me in the office in my lap. By Friday, though, he finally warmed to the idea and understood that Mommy is working and he has to stay in his class. Once we got that taken care of, Spring Break arrived - just in time for our routine to be disrupted. So, I expect we will begin the process again on Monday.

I have to say that in any other circumstance, I would not like this job. I am doing basic office work, it is fairly disorganized, and the pay is low. The fact that it is (hopefully) temporary and that I get to spend more time with Charlie makes up for all of its flaws, though. I love being able to check in on him throughout the day. I am also excited to see what goes on in the school, learning about the Montessori method and getting know the happenings in the elementary classrooms. The people I work with are super-cool and laid back. It is a great atmosphere and I feel lucky to have found such a nice solution to my unemployment. Another plus is that I can take Henry to work with me. I probably won’t take him every day, but certainly 2-3 days a week. I am planning a trial run with him on Monday. Hopefully, he will continue to be his chilled out little self and I’ll actually be able to get some things done.

Aside from being with Charlie, my favorite part of last week was getting to participate in the elementary class’ Favorite Food Friday. The theme was round food and each elementary student brought in something round to eat. We had a feast! Some of the dishes included quiche, melon balls, bagels, and pie for dessert. There was so much food and the kids seemed to have a great time serving it. They were all so proud of their dishes and wanted me to try everything.

If everything works out, I’ll be able work there through the summer and begin teaching in a city or county school in the fall. And then it will be back to the grind of flying out the door in the mornings and rushing, rushing, RUSHING to get things done in the evenings so we can all get to bed so we can wake up and do it all over again. I happily embrace my current situation for now.

Please hire me

While on maternity leave last fall, I decided to make some positive changes in my life. First on the list was getting all of my information (resume, applications, special “forms”) together for the lengthy process of applying for teaching positions in our area public schools. This is something I have been working toward for the past year and what better time to go through all the legwork than when the new baby is sleeping?

Five weeks ago, I got a call from a principal at a very good high school in Memphis. One of his teachers was leaving the school to take a new job at a different school. Thus, he had an opening and wanted to interview me. The interview was wonderful! I have never felt so good about an interview, and this opportunity seemed to be a perfect fit.

A few days later, the principal called me and offered me the job teaching 9th grade English. I quickly completed the necessary paperwork and faxed it off to the school system’s human resources department. I was then told to wait. Thinking that this position would surely begin in the coming weeks, I turned in my notice at my current job. I wanted to be ready to go once everything was in place.

And then I waited. And waited. And I heard nothing. Two weeks went by, and I worked my last day at my previous job. I thought that I would for sure hear something during that first week of my unemployment. That first week went by in a blur due to the passing of my wonderful grandmother. I felt that not hearing anything was a sort of blessing from somewhere because I was able to be with my mom during such a difficult time. Then, week two rolled around and I continued to wait. I called the human resources office repeatedly and got the same report over and over again – “Your paperwork is ready. We just have to wait for the deputy superintendent to sign off on it. There should be no problems. He is just really busy.” I patiently waited and tried not to worry.

Then came week three. On Wednesday of this week I got a call from the principal of the school at which I expected to begin work any day. He reported that because of budget issues in the school system, all new positions have been frozen. Thus, the teacher who planned to leave to start a new job (as in a newly established position) was not leaving, leaving me with no position to fill. And now I am out of a job. And no one from the human resources office has bothered to call me.

I feel like an idiot for quitting my job in the first place. I should have known better. This is, after all, a school system that is not praised for its fiscal successes, among other things. I should have at least waited until I signed a contract. I should have expected the possibility that things might not go smoothly. I should have been smarter about the whole thing. In my excitement to continue on with career of choice, a career in which I can hopefully make a positive impact, I completely screwed up. In a time when our economy is depressed and when thousands of people are losing their jobs by no fault of their own, I am the dingbat who quit her perfectly fine job. And now, I am left scrambling, hoping, and sort of praying that I will find the silver lining.

While being a stay at home mom for the past three weeks has been nice in many ways, I need a job. There’s only so much laundry, cleaning, and cooking I can do to distract me from the fact that our bank account is dwindling down farther and farther by the minute. On that note, is there anyone out there looking for someone who is willing to start yesterday?

Qualifications:

• Certified in the State of Tennessee to teach English grades 7-12 and English as a Second Language
• Experience with writing grant proposals and sales proposals, managing grant budgets, managing an office
• Works well under pressure and deadlines. Usually makes sound decisions except when is unknowingly about to get denied by potential employer
• Willing to do almost anything!