Life: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Frisco, San Anton, Cali - equally relliable indicators of the native born.

That's fast, soz. Hope it works out to your liking -- I need another 'adventures in teaching' thread to follow.

That's so clever -- Good for you!

Woooo hoooo, Soz!!! This is GREAT! Crossing fingers for you...thinking it's practically in the bag...and really hopeful you'll share your experiences teaching as well. It would be awesome if we could form some type of support group and share our ideas, successes and you know...help each other!!

Joeblow---thanks, dahlink! Engagement is what I am craving.

(Ambrosine slaps Theophile on her taut ass)

You see, eventually everyone moves to California - at least at one time or another. Good luck to you, Lash.

Oh...I was so excited, Soz, I ran a bit far with that. i understand you may not want the job...you're in prelim stages.... Hope the issue progresses to your liking.... Keep us posted!

(Fondly remembering the good ol', bad 'ol days of a taut ass)

Helllllllllllllllppp...

Everyone, but especially littlek. And Lash too.

OK, so the job was posted in an apparently hurried fashion. A new posting, and school starts very soon. The posting was one sentence long and included the phrase "4 hours." (That's it, "4 hours," not "4 hours/ week" or "4 hours/ day.") Since standard job postingese is to say what the hours are per week (20, 40, etc.) I thought it was 4 hours a week. That sounded good, a nice way to dip my toe back in and make a little money.

The job itself was ambiguous but had to do with teaching Deaf kids. No hearing required. Coolness.

Well. It's really four hours/ DAY -- 20 hours/week. It's not so close (nor impossibly far -- about half an hour, for an hour of driving/ day). It would be doing something very close to what littlek has been doing, I think. One-on-one with a Deaf girl (and I think I know who) who has, and here I quote, "difficulties with appropriate interactions with other students. Compliance with directions is also an issue at times." So, shadowing her in a classroom setting.

The pay would be niiiiiice but we just recently started to be fairly comfortable financially. More money would of course be helpful, but we're not feeling a desperate lack either (which is new). So it'd be more about the intrinsic benefits of the job and where it would lead.

I'm overqualified for the position. (There wasn't even a slot for me to put my M.Ed in on the application.) I wouldn't necessarily need this to shunt me into teaching jobs if that's the way I want to go. I have a master's degree and have been very active in the Deaf community here and count several teachers at the state school for the Deaf as my friends.

And I'm not even sure if teaching is where I want to go. I was recently basically offered the CEO position for an organization that is currently volunteer-run but is in the process of becoming a non-profit and has a solid base for growth. ("Basically" = a few years down the line, if I want it, if the organization has grown as expected, and if the person who offered is still in a position to offer.)

I'm leaning towards "no," but I'm not sure and would welcome input.

It sounds like something you'd be good at, and 4 hours a day could be ok since it sounds like it would be while sozlet is in school. What do you do with her if she's home sick one day, though? The drive doesn't sound pleasant, but neither does it sound unbearable. Do you think you would enjoy the work?

Okay, remind me again: What would that be? You're overqualified for the job, it wouldn't lead you anywhere you couldn't go without it, and you don't even know if you want to go where it leads you. The only intrinsic benefit you mention is that it doesn't require hearing.


I'm getting the impression that in your heart you're already saying "no", and all you need is validation. Forget validation. Just follow your heart!

That seems like very sound advice.





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It does!

Thanks Thomas, and FreeDuck too. Whether I'd enjoy the work is indeed key.

I've decided no. The girl I am thinking of -- and I'm virtually certain it's her -- is someone who I think would be really clingy and emotionally exhausting. That's kind of the opposite direction I want to go when it comes to work -- I want to balance my mothering energy with something more... cerebral? This would leave me emotionally exhausted and impatient when my own daughter comes home from school and wants attention, I fear.

I wavered last night when I spoke to one of my friends who works at the school for the deaf, because she said that she thought working there at all, in any capacity, would in fact help me if I wanted a regular teaching job there down the line.

The speed necessary for making the decision and then starting (Monday) is also daunting. I have a bunch of stuff waiting for sozlet to start back to school so I have time to address it properly, and she starts school after this job would start.

So, I think the answer is "no" -- I'm 90% there anyway. What I told my friend is that I'm worried that I say "no" now and then in two weeks, after I've gotten caught up with the initial stuff that needs catching up and have six hours a day available, I'll start bonking my head and saying "WHY did I pass up that opportunity??"

My general rule on any decision that feels rushed is to say no. That doesn't have to be your rule, but I can see how the speed compounds your other issues with it.

Anyway, it's unlikely they are going to find anyone to do the job in such a short space of time, so it seems possible that the job could remain open should you decide you made a mistake.

I have a similar rule. It's a good one I think, and you have a good point about "no" maybe not being the end of the story.

I'll talk to E.G. and then probably give them a final reply tomorrow morning.

Thanks for helping me through this, guys! I'm feeling better about it.

soz, You reacted properly in that situation; your decision was the right one for the right time. Things usually turn out for the better when one has time to think over important decisions.

Good for you, Soz. Feeling rushed feels like a no.

It was sorta cool the way Thomas was asking about the "intrinsic" benefits...and they just weren't there, when we were faced with naming them. Helping for helping's sake...is wonderful when it doesn't impede your progress to where you belong.

I think when you see it, you'll know it.

So, my teaching partner taught the new term suffrage today: "The right to complain to the government that it is causing you to suffer...."

Yes, I'm talking to my prof. It is TORTURE being in there with him.

His notable quotable to me last week: "I hate children." The runner up: "I like the lecture style of teaching. I stand up there and give them what they need....either they get it, or they don't."

I can't BEAR what he's doing in the classroom.

kick his ass to the curb, Miss Thing

Well, send me to the corner with a pointy hat, but I'd probably like the guy.

You are SO in the corner - and I am knitting you your own pointy hat.