Adios Senior Project, Hello Trying to Find a Job

What a roller coaster ride the past few days have been.

Forty five interns came together to present their senior projects - the bulk of their senior year - to peers, teachers, and principals.

On Tuesday, I was lucky.  I got to sit back and relax while half of my classmates presented their senior projects.  Wednesday - it was my turn.

The presentation, overall, went very well.  I was nervous, I stumbled a little - but I got through it...and for that, I'm extremely happy.

I'm also happy that it's over.  The senior project started in August of last year - and was daunting, to say the least.  It took hours and hours of planning, hours and hours of teaching, and hours and hours of reflection to get it to the point of completion.  And now, it's over......that part is, anyway.

Now, it's on to yet another daunting task - trying to find a job as a teacher. 

The area in which I live is in no short supply of teachers.  There are literally hundreds of teachers trying to find teaching jobs each school year - and now I am going to be one of them. 

I've always been pretty confident about finding a job when I needed one - but this is so different.  This isn't about finding a job to pay the bills - this is about finding a job doing what I've always wanted to do and want to continue doing for the rest of my life.  This is my career, what I've worked so hard for the past four years...it's a lot to worry about.

There are so many schools in the area - but trying to get the opportunity to at least interview is the challenge.  I've had the great opportunity of working in one school this year....I did a practicum in a school for my junior year.... but that's about it.  That's the extent of my school connections.  I don't know any other principles, I haven't built up a network of "teacher friends" that can put in a good word for me....except for the school I'm currently in. 

Getting a job in my internship school would be AMAZING.  I have had such a great experience being there - I love all of the teachers, the administration is awesome, and the entire school as a whole is great.  Yeah, I'm biased - I've been there for a year.  I've built relationships not only with the staff - but with the students, too. 

That doesn't mean I don't want a job anywhere else - there are several amazing schools in my area...it's getting an interview that's the challenge.

Maybe I do get an interview or two....will I be good enough?  Will I be able to convince them to choose me over the other applicants?  Is my passion to find a teaching job any deeper than the other people applying for the same jobs?

The whole thing is very emotional for me.  I have wanted to be a teacher since I was 5.  Now I'm weeks away from receiving the piece of paper that can make that dream come true.  It's so close I can taste it - yet still so far away.  The biggest challenge is yet to come.  There has been no preparing for the days and weeks to come....stepping out and trying to find "the" position.

Hopefully, I will.