The Tally So Far

Here's where I am at this point, job hunt-wise:
Applied: 8 districts (plus 4 more I'm in the process of working on)
Interviewed: 3 districts
Call backs: 1 district, 2 times (didn't get first opening, but called again to go after another one)
Paper-screened out: 2 that I know about for sure; may be 2 others that just aren't telling me about it.
Out-right rejections: 1 so far, but one of the jobs I interviewed for is flying again. That is NOT a good sign!
Jobs pulled by district: 1
On the current position: I spoke with the Superintendent on Thursday. He was very sympathetic, said nice things about the district's opinion of me, and that he hoped I would have a spot with them next year. Also offered to call a friend in another district and put my name in for openings they may have. I said, "Yes, that would be great!" He is waiting on some direction from the Governing Board as to how they want to see the slightly-improved budget for next year used, so I still have a chance at a my job existing next year. (Sidenote: I wonder if organizing a "Contact the Board" campaign to keep my job would work? I've heard from several sympathetic parents... Nah, probably not a good idea.)

Like I've said before, I understand the situation. It's not personal, it's personnel.But that understanding does not make this uncertainty any easier to take. I'm not freaking out over the situation, at least not yet. I figure more jobs will open as districts get a clearer picture of who's going to be where in what capacity next year due to promotions and other attrition, and I don't think I'll be too nervous until later in the summer.
My wife, on the other hand, wants to see ink on a contract before the end of this school year. I can understand that, too.

No child left behind...

Except the one who really shouldn't go to college.
Something that's left out of our educational system is preparation for those careers that do not require college, that leave out those students who are not, and never will be, college bound.

Why do we think it's bad if a kid doesn't go to college? We still need carpenters, mechanics, other skilled tradesmen/tradeswomen, don't we? Can everyone be in management? Do we need 35 million stockbrokers? Why don't we offer something for those kids who would be happy to learn a trade?

What's wrong with the system?

Still have some options...

Well, I guess if I don't get an administrative job, I can always fall go back into the classroom: I suspect there may be an opening coming up in this neighboring district!

Still workin' it

Had interview number 4 today: 3 firsts and a second. Got a call from the district where I had the second; didn't get the job I was applying for, but they want to interview me again for an opening at another school.
I have to admit, it's good for my ego that they want to try me out for another opening... I completely understand that choosing an assistant principal is kind of like choosing a pair of shoes; it's really important that the fit is right. I'm not egotistical enough to believe that my skills automatically make me fit with any principal, but I'm confident enough to think that I'll be a good fit somewhere, and the fact that they want to "try me on" with another team is a good sign.
Still, I am exhausted by this process, the uncertainty of my situation for next year, the stress of the interview process. It's hard to put my fate, over and over, into the hands of others.
I know will all work out, and I'm taking to heart the message within a book I read this year and finding the power of losing control of my situation.
I must be very powerful; I've lost lots of control!

The times, they are a changin'

Years ago, this sort of thing would have required a darkroom, a Xerox machine, and several hours of work. Now, what, 15 minutes?
And kids are still surprised when it happens.

Amazing.

Anybody out there?

I suppose it's my own fault. I went away for a long time, and was kind of hit-and-miss for a while before that, so it's understandable that the folks who used to read/comment here have moved on.

But...

Would it be too much to ask for a comment every now and then? Someone to follow my Twitter updates (besides Senator Obama, anyway, as much as I appreciate that!)?

Not complaining, just askin'.

Oy Vey!

Yesterday was tough.
I rode the rollercoaster of emotion. First, my colleague texted me to say that he wouldn't be in due to a sick kid. There are 3 of us assistant principal-types on campus, so normally one being out isn't that big a deal, but the other has been in state-mandated testing seclusion for the last 3 weeks and wouldn't be much help. I knew supervision was going to be my job for the day. The worst part of that was that it was Wednesday, and our schedule is all jacked up on Wednesdays for collaboration time. This is before I even set foot on campus, remember.
Then, the first thing I did upon arrival at school was sign to indicate I'd received my notice that my job had, so sorry, been officially eliminated by the school board. Not unexpected, but still, it sucked. Things improved briefly when I was able to arrange for some substitute teachers to help out with supervision, but went downhill again when I saw the pile of discipline referrals on my desk (teachers and kids both go a little nuts during testing!).
Back up: I got a call from a district I interviewed with 2 weeks ago, scheduling a second interview!
Back down: lunch duty. We normally have 2 lunch periods, 30 minutes each, with about 15 minutes in between, enough time for us to grab a bite to eat. Wednesdays, it's 2 lunch periods of 35 minutes with about 8 minutes in between. I wound up skipping lunch, thinking I'd grab a sandwich after the lunch periods ended.
Wrong.
Way down: call from a teacher: "Student X is under the influence of alcohol!" Pull Student X from class, talk to her, she's in full denial mode. I asked another person to come in and observe her, but still inconclusive.
Back up: I go back to the teacher, ask for more details, and talk to another student in the class (Student X's good friend) and say, "Do you know why I pulled her out?" He answers, "Because she had alcohol!" Call the police, they send an officer out, she blows a .007 b.a.c on the breathalizer. (By the way: this is "up" because I was able to get the answer, not because I'm glad she was drinking. Student X is a sweet kid, but very troubled.)
Down again: Student X names another kid in connection with the booze, who in turn rolls on another, but neither of those really pan out.
Up once more: another district I applied with called to set up an interview- scheduled it for 90 minutes after the other one (district offices are only 10 minutes away from one another).
Down again: Cleared out Student X and her friends, talked to parents, and headed out the door, only to find one of our kids waiting for a ride home. By this time, it's 5:30, and school gets out at 3. 10 minutes later, mom rolls up and I'm on my way to pick up kids and get ready for a cub scout meeting. Still no lunch. Teacher observation writeups/evaluations need to be signed the next day. Only one is written yet. Still need to observe one teacher. Did I mention they are due next day?
Up, finally to stay: Beautiful and patient wife says she'll take the boy to the scout meeting. I get to eat, sit down, veg out for a few minutes before I start writing evals.

Today? Much better!

Required Reading

Planning on being a teacher? Especially a secondary school teacher? Here's a brief reading list:

When Young Teacher Go Wild on the Web
Washington Post article about the impact of social networking sites on the careers of teachers. This poses an interesting question: do teachers (and by extension, other school employees) have to adhere to a higher standard of behavior in their private lives because of the public nature of their jobs? Considering the technological skills of our students, I'd say yes, at least in regards to what is posted on the Internet. Let's face it: 12-18 year-olds will Google their teachers, and share on campus anything "juicy" they find out!

Teacher Under Construction: Things I Wish I'd Known!: A Survival Handbook for New Middle School Teachers
This is an AWESOME overview of teaching in a junior high! Spend 2 days reading this, and you'll save yourself 5 years worth of trial-and-(lots of) error.

EdJoin.org
If you live in California, or want to work in California, this is the first stop: a listing of jobs, by county and school district. You can even apply on-line for many of them. Unfortunately, this is not exactly a great time to be entering the profession here in Sunny CA, unless you are a special education teacher or a speech and language pathologist... those folks are in huge demand!

California Education Code
Particularly section 48900. Here in Cali, this deals with the suspension/expulsion of students. Teachers should be familiar with it, so their expectations of student discipline are reasonable.

Obviously this list could go on and on, but this is all I have for right now. I'll add to it as I come up with more material.

Gripe session

My wife is an elementary school principal. I love her, and respect what she does, but, frankly, sometimes her job gets on my last nerve.
Take this weekend, for example. It's the time of year when teacher evaluations are coming due, so my sweetheart has spent the last two days at her computer working on them. I took the kids to swimming and karate, did the grocery shopping, 5 loads of laundry, entertained the kids, got them bathed and put to bed.
I know. Many readers will say, "But that's not just her job! What kind of sexist pig are you? Can't a woman have a demanding job outside the family?"
Let me make this clear: I do not resent having to do these things because I feel they are not gender appropriate; I resent it because I have to do them all the time!
My wife and I have a wonderful relationship. In the 12 years we've been together, 10 of which we've been married, we have never had a fight. We've disagreed, certainly, but never stood in the living room yelling at each other. Our relationship has been an equal division of labor since the beginning, each of us taking responsibility for the things we prefer to do. I like to cook, she doesn't like the way I do laundry, so those tasks are divided accordingly. Under normal circumstances, things run very smoothly.
But the point of this whole thing is that, for the 2 years she's been a principal (and to a lesser extent when she was an assistant principal), I've had to take on more of the household responsibilities, and from time to time it annoys me.
When our kids were first born, we would have a conversation in the morning about who was going to pick up whom from daycare. Not anymore. Now it's assumed that I will pick them up, get them home, and get dinner started. She'll call me from work and ask if I have them, but I don't know what she would do if I was to say, "Gosh, I thought YOU were going to get them! I've gone to happy hour with my friends!" (Actually, I think I know what she would say, but this is a family-friendly blog!)
Don't get me wrong: I am fully aware that this is a selfish point of view, and I don't think I would ever actually tell my wife any of this really annoyed me, because I know she feels conflicted about it already. But here, in the safe anonymity of the blogosphere, I'm willing to let it out.
Anyone else have similar stories to tell?

I'm Back!

Maybe.
It's been about 1 1/2 years since I last set fingers to keyboard to post to this blog, and I'm not sure if I'll be sufficiently motivated to post regularly now, but for the moment, anyway, here I am.
It's been an interesting time since I've last posted: my wife has ridden a roller coaster of elation and frustration in her principal-ship, the boys have grown up, and I have learned a ton. A brief summary:
** Teachers are never satisfied with the discipline handed out by administrators. If you give a kid detention, they want more detention. Give her Saturday School, they want her suspended. Suspend him, they want him expelled.
** 13 is the new 16. Where not long ago kids would generally begin their experimentations with drugs, alcohol, and sex as 16- or 17-year-olds now start at 13 or 14. "Early bloomers" might start in 5th or 6th grade. Scary.
** Kids today are the "Communication Generation." (Feel free to use the term; I don't think I stole it from anyone.) Cell phones and text messaging are the modern equivalent of the notes we used to pass one another on sheets of notebook paper. Trying to ban phones from the classroom is an exercise in futility, so we need to find a way to manage them.
** It's all about relationships with people: kids, parents, teachers, community, school board, everyone. You get nothing done if you can't establish relationships with those around you.
** Junior high kids are nuts, but I love them.

I'll post again if I get inspired!

Bing said it better, but...

I wanted to wish everyone in the Blogosphere a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyous Kwanza, Happy Hanukka, and a peaceful winter solstice!

Ahh, Memories!

I've posted about my two sons here in the past. Now, I'm taking a trip down memory lane thanks to The Pig's Tales and her new little one.

My older son is 6 now, but I remember the first full day we had him at home very clearly. My wife and I had marveled at him all afternoon/evening the day before, handled him as if he were made of china, and fell in love with him more with every passing squirmy, scrunched-up face, bundled-up-like-a-burrito-in-his-swaddling minute. The next morning we put him on the changing table to change and dress him for the day. No sooner had we removed his diaper and lifted his bottom to clean him up, he let fly with a arc of liquid poop.

It didn't take us long to figure out you NEVER leave a baby completely uncovered, unless you're planning on changing the carpet and painting the walls soon.

Good times!

Honestly, I wouldn't change a minute of the time I've spent with him, or with his brother. The poop, pee, spitup, barf, snot, and sweat all wash off with soap and water (well, most of it anyway; sometimes you get a stain), but parenthood is forever. It's amazing what you are willing to deal with, if it comes out of someone you love more than your own life.

Ms. Cornelius, over at A Shrewdness of Apes, writes today about the difficulty she's had in reading books like The Lovely Bones since she's become a mom, and it's something with which I totally identify. I love CSI and shows of its ilk, but when the victim is a child, I have to switch to something else.

Anyway, I didn't want this post to become so morbid; it's intended to be a celebration, for Pigs, Ms. Cornelius, and all the other parenting/teaching bloggers out there. Enjoy your kids, and remember them when you deal with other peoples' in your schools.

There may have been a song or two about this...

Dealt with a student today who apparently really, really enjoyed his own company while in the classroom, if you know what I mean.

Fun stuff!

Africa hot

Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot. Bonus points if you can name the movie/book).

OK, walking around on the blacktop, wearing a long-sleeve shirt and tie, when it's nearly 100 degrees.

Not.
Fun.

Just so you know.

Whew!

Three weeks on the job, three days with kids on campus, and I'm having a great time!

I've been busy, learning my new responsibilities, getting to know the staff and the kids, spending a lot of time on supervision duty, but I've enjoyed every minute. Even dealing with those parents (you know the ones!) has been a new and exciting challenge for me.

And I think that is the key... new and exciting challenges. I was, as those who have been visiting my blog for a while now may know, at the end of my productive time in the classroom. I wanted to leave before I became toxic to everyone around me, and this position has provided an opportunity to refresh and remember the reasons I got into education in the first place. And, boy, have I had some new experiences! One big one: helping Down Syndrome students, one of whom has a leg cast due to surgery and is in a wheelchair, use the bathroom.

Not that everything has been fun and games, of course. Parents in the community of my new school are inclined towards micromanagement; in fact, the first call I took on this job was a parent wanting to know her child's schedule before they were distributed so she could be sure the child was "in the right teachers' classes." This was an everyday, run-of-the-mill 8th grader. I could easily understand this level of interference if this was a special needs student, but in this case, not so much.

But overall my experience so far has been very positive. I'm having a great time learning my new role and getting to know the kids and staff, and feel good about what I'm doing.

Two weeks

I've been at my new job for two weeks now, and my head is spinning. I only have a few minutes right now, but I'll blog about it soon!

What have I done?

[Yawn!]
What, is it July already? How long have I been asleep? Since June 5? Wow, I must be Mr. C Van Winkle over here!

Seriously, though. My busy-ness continues unabated... a 10 page paper due on Tuesday, the wife going out of town for a conference most of next week, 2 young 'uns to take care of, and, oh, I forgot to mention: a brand new job! After 10 years in the same district, I'm moving on; I'll be the new assistant principal at a junoir high school in a district neighboring my old one. I'll also be teaching one period/day, so in addition to the new responsibilities, new district proceedures, new school personnel, new kids, I may have a new teaching curriculum to learn.

To refer to the title of this post again, What have I done?

I'm just a little nervous about all of this, but at the same time I'm excited about the possibilities. My new school is higher-performing than my last (an 843 API opposed to 703), which takes a lot of the pressure to acheive off, but adds new "keep it up, make it better" kinds of pressure. The chance to connect with kids on a new, different level is really exciting, but will I have time? How do I do it? Many things to think about...

And, throwing still another twist into the situation, I'm not the only member of the C family household to have a new job; my wife, who has been an assistant principal in the same district where I used to work (along with my sister and her husband... we owned that place!) is a newly-appointed principal, with all of its incumbent worries.

We're in for an exciting year!

UPDATE:
The little woman departed this afternoon for her conference (with some tears: it's her first time away from the kids for more than 2 nights), and the kids promptly tore the living room apart and made a fort of the couch cushions. I'm on page 5 of my 10-page paper, with 2 more days to work on it.
Fun stuff, huh?

UPDATE 2:
And no, it didn't hurt when my soul was ripped from my body as I signed my contract going over to the "other side!" :-)

What else could I do?

There are some things you just don't do.
You don't bet with your heart.
You don't get involved in a land war in Asia.
And you don't ignore a request to post from Ms. Cornelius!

I've been waaaaaaaaaaaaaay busy of late, and haven't taken the time to read, let alone write, the blogs that are important to me. That's a choice on my part, not offered as an excuse, but my own personal reality. I'm working towards my administrative credential, coordinated my district's GATE program, and spent 8 days on the East Coast with 68 eighth-graders (that is a separate post altogether!), not to mention my two kids and beautiful, understanding wife. Blogging has taken a far-distant place in my priorities list.

But, Ms. Cornelius, my dear blog-friend, here you are. Thanks for keeping my in your thoughts!
And as an added bonus, here are a few pictures from my trip to the east...

A Post About Nothing

Um, Hi.
I'm feeling compelled to post, but don't really know what to post about. I could post about my kids, I suppose, or my wife, her job, my job, my admin credential program, even my dog (again).
I could post about current events, sports (though I'm not really a big sports fan), politics (can you say "Flame war?") or my favorite comic strip.
OK, I'll do a little of each! That'll work! First, obviously, is my favorite comic, Get Fuzzy. The charming cat is Bucky. Bucky is devious, mean, and bad tempered, like most cats. The guy in the tie is Rob. He's a rugby fan, is a vegetarian, and still overcoming a bad haircut. Not featured in this strip is Satchel, a less-than-intelligent dog who is often the target of Bucky's evil. Enjoy the comic!
Sports: I'm a Red Sox fan, mainly because of genetics (I was born in Massachusetts, moved to CA when I was 9), which can be frustrating. They're doing their usual hot/no-so-hot routine, so it's the typical Boston Rollercoaster.
The Jobs: My wife is applying for a principal's spot in our district, which I like to think she has a pretty good chance at getting. It's exciting for her, and I'm very proud! It's also kind of scary, because of the added responsibility and commitments beyond the school day.
I'm applying for an entry-level-type administrative job myself with our neighboring district. It's a high school spot, and I've been in junior high since I started, so that is also kind of exciting/scary. My resume looks good, I've got good letters of recommendation, but I don't know how often they go outside the district to fill this sort of vacancy. I just submitted my app yesterday, so we'll see.
The Kids: Awesome, as always. Both were sick last week (colds with fever) but are fine now.
The dog: no more bird incidents lately, at least that I know about, nor other small, dead creatures. She continues to delight us daily!

I'm hoping that I'll post more frequently over the next few days/weeks/months, but I can't make any promises. I haven't even read many blogs of late, so I have no clue what's going on out in the 'sphere. I'll do my best to catch up, but suffice it to say that I hope you all are doing well, and I continue to consider you my friends despite my apparent lack of interest. :-)

BK

Again, this is Daisy. She's not really too smart, but she's been a good dog... soft with our kids, hasn't peed on the carpet too much, generally OK to have around.

Unless you are a bird, that is.

Yesterday, we looked out into the back yard to see our little darling with something in her mouth. Something with wings.

Eww.

I was promptly dispatched outside to relieve the dog of her conquest... no easy task, as she was quite proud of herself and unwilling to surrender the spoils of war without arguement. After some persuasion, I was able to convince her to give up the feathered prize, and she spent a few hours outside, hopefully getting the taste out of her mouth.
I don't know if Daisy did the bird in herself or found it in the yard, but the end result is the same... a formerly alive flying creature, without a head, in her mouth.

By the way; when a dog bites down on a dead/dying bird, it makes a very disturbing crunching noise. Just thought you'd want to know.