A twenty-something student teacher college graduate; Education; Theatre Arts; Social Studies; Grades 7-12; Trying to find a school to hire me!
Rejection
Normally, I am not bothered by rejection. But, I just got my first rejection e-mail from a school district and it bothers me.
I wish they would have at least interviewed me. I spent a lot of time on the application and rewriting my cover letter/resume.
Also, (I know it’s early still and that hiring doesn’t really take off until March) I’m starting to worry that this is a sign of things to come and that I will end up working as substitute teacher next school year/working in a restaurant/coffee shop. I want to put my college degree to use.
There is some dialogue about the school district that became a battleground of sorts. I could only imagine how I would feel as a teacher put in the situation of possibly losing my job if I mentioned homosexuality in my classroom. I literally don’t know what I would do (especially because it is a lot harder to come across a job in my content area). And that is a scary thought as someone who was an active member of my high school’s GSA, participated in the Day of Silence whenever possible, and encouraged my student teaching students to stop using the word “gay” as a synonym for dumb or stupid. Ugh…the fact that this situation continued for so long makes me sick.
How I felt after I submitted my first full-time teaching application…
At first I was like:
Then I realized I submitted a legitimate job application with a legitimate cover letter and resume…and might have a legitimate job interview…so then I was like…
So then I kept thinking “I’m not going to get the job…I’m not qualified to teach theatre!” And then I realized I went to college for this…so then I was like…
I submitted my first application for a full-time job as a theatre teacher!!!
Job opening part 2
Part-way through filling out an application for the job opening I found yesterday, I come to a questionnaire section. A lot of these questions are questions I expected to be asked in an interview so these are questions I have put a lot of thought into. Needless to say, I have written a NOVEL (at least two fully developed and thought out paragraphs for each question so far)!
Am I over doing it? Should I go back and edit or is this my opportunity to tell them about me (and hopefully shine)?
This happens more often than people realize.
At least it did in my student teaching experience.
(Source: weheartit.com)
Bored
So bored. It’s only the second day of my winter break. I’ve already read one book, finished Christmas shopping, and obsessively stalked the employment pages of the school districts I want to work in (as if a job posting for a Drama teacher would magically appear out of thin air during the first week/days of winter break). AND MY LAPTOP IS SLOWLY DYING AND CAN NO LONGER HANDLE YOUTUBE!
Also, one of my colleagues got hired as an English teacher and I find myself incredibly jealous.
Someone give me something to do!
Conversation with a parent…
A little background first. The student involved is a home schooled student who comes to the middle school twice a day: once in the morning for choir and once in the afternoon for Drama. She has not been in class for the last week and a half and I have only just now gotten an answer on the phone:
Me: Hello! I’m Ms. C and I am your daughter’s teacher in Drama.
Mom: Yes.
Me: Well, I was just calling because she has not been in my class for the last week and a half and I am concerned about her final grade in the class. We have one last project and it is worth a large part of her grade.
Mom: Mhm…
Me: It is really important that she is in school for the last week and a half that we have. Could you help me out and get her to class?
Mom: Well…it’s just been too hard to get her to school and the weather has been too cold for her to walk.
Me: Ok, well her grade will suffer if she is not in school for these last five days.
Mom: Here, let me put you on the phone
Student: Hello?
Me: Hey, It’s Ms. C! I was just calling because I really miss you in class and I want you to come back and finish the semester. Do you think you can tough it out tomorrow and walk to school so we can come up with a plan?
Student: I don’t know…
Me: Ok. Well you know you will fail the class if you just don’t do the final project, right?
Student: Yeah…
Me: So do you think you can come to class tomorrow?
Student: I don’t know…Well, bye.
I am so concerned right now. I know where they live (small town) and she lives down the road (maybe two blocks) from the school. I don’t understand why this parent cannot get their child to come to class for Drama. With the exception of today, it has not been that cold outside that her daughter could not walk to school.
It’s like they just don’t care about their child’s grades. The mom really did not seem to care one way or another and neither did the student. This student is so much fun to have in class and I never saw this sort of attitude from her until this phone call.
I really hope I see this student in class tomorrow…I do not want this student to fail, but this project is a huge part of their grade (and it’s mostly a participation-type project so if you are in class and working then you will get a good grade). If she just doesn’t show up in school, I can’t give her a passing grade, right? Am I doing everything I can? I feel like I should do more to get this student to school, but it seems like I can’t do anything…I am so frustrated right now!
This is an example of the activity; This Is A What?
I’m going to use this with some of my 9-12 drama kids. I need to work with the concentration in this group (specially during rehearsals).
PTC Incoming
Four nights of Parent Teacher Conferences. 4-8 p.m. Lawd. Help me.
Don’t get me wrong…I want to meet my students’ parents and I want to experience PTC. But….four 12 and a half hour days in a row?
I will write a lesson tonight
I have been trying to write my first lesson for my middle school drama class since Sunday. Apparently, I have lost the ability to write lessons during my summer break. I am going to start panicking if I can’t even get my objectives written before tomorrow.
T-minus 12 days.
