I think garnering one's first real job out of college is a challenge and one that only comes through due diligence, patience, networking, and even some praying. Because I knew the way the county public schools operated, I opted to look into teaching in the private school realm. There was a fantastic Episcopal school and a fantastic Catholic school very near to my home. I began subbing in the Episcopal school my last year in college...thinking this would for sure lead to a job offer. It was a beautiful quaint Episcopal school in an upscale neighborhood. The children were happy and the best part of the school was its size. There were only fourteen children in a class and only two classes per grade. I thought, "Boy, I could get so much done with a class like that!"
I did, however, visit for a day the Catholic school, and although the principal (a sister) and the vice-principal were very accommodating and nice, I wasn't too keen on the size of the school. Each class had forty children in a classroom - forty! As a young teacher, I can tell you that really intimidated me. I never thought I could have control over forty children at one time. So, I put all my eggs in the Episcopalian basket - even after all the experiences I had with the Catholic faith. I was still running from it, it seemed.
At the end of my last semester in college, the principal and vice-principal of the Episcopal school asked to have a meeting with me. They said a second grade teacher was leaving and they wanted me to fill her spot. They went over salary and benefits with me and then said they would call me again in about a week. I was ecstatic. It was my dream job and it was all coming to fruition. I waited...and waited...and waited. I never received a phone call. I was confused as they had spoken so positively with me just the week before. It didn't make sense. I waited a few more days and then I called them. I got the run-around. I was devastated because I hadn't done any networking anywhere else. This had always seemed like a "done deal". Finally, the vice-principal called and told me they just weren't hiring and that was that.
I began praying because I had really wasted time with one school and now I was behind the ball. Very few other schools even knew who I was. Out of the blue (and one week later I might add) I received a phone call from a sister who was the principal at a Catholic school I hadn't even heard of. She said she had been given my name by that nice sister at the other Catholic school close to my house. She said that principal spoke very highly of me and that I had done "field work" there for her. Well, that wasn't exactly true. I had only just visited that school for a day, but who was I to argue? I needed a job and if that principal's recommendation to this sister landed me an interview, then so be it. Once again, I was being led - hand held almost - into the Catholic Church...and away from my Episcopalian roots. I wasn't happy about it. I still longed for that coveted teaching position in that posh Episcopal school.
I went through the interview process and and was told that the positions were competitive - that they had many applicants. I finally made it to the last round, which was the interview with the pastor. He made me an offer on the spot. The kicker was that he said he only had two positions available: kindergarten or sixth grade. I told him I was only certified in grades one through six, and he said, "So sixth it is!" I began sweating bullets because I never wanted to teach children older than third grade. The bigger kids were a little scary. How would I control them? Sixth grade was ...MIDDLE SCHOOL! I calmly told him not to worry, that I could handle it. Then the pastor proceeded to tell me that the sixth grade class was the worst class he's seen at that school in years and that I would have FORTY of them. Forty? Wasn't that the number I was running from previously? Yes, forty sixth graders would be my fate...and here's the best part. Since the school was going through a renovation, I would be with those forty sixth graders most of the day in one portable in the back of the main school building. I was happy to have a job, but I just kept thinking, "I'm here for a reason."
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