"Patience is a virtue!" my grandmother used to say.... I swear, I have tried to be patient with my entire being. I have done everything right... applied for positions before I moved, applied when we moved here, applied when I worked for MGH, applied weekly for anything and everything since 8.8.08, taught locally in Columbus City Schools and St. Paul's, taught back in NJ, now subbing in Westerville.... and continuing to apply.... well, I don't think any amount of patience in the world will help me here in Ohio.... Here is the latest installment: I started subbing in Westerville in August of 2010, the second week of school.... I was called in so teachers could administer and level individual students for reading and math. I had a great time in 3rd grade for 8 days. One of the gals was pregnant. She asked me if I was "on the list." I explained everything I had done. She looked sad and said, "But you haven't been videotaped?" Ugh! No. "Have you been interviewed by a principal?" No. Well get on that, says she, and I will ask for you to be my maternity replacement! Woo hoo! Things were looking up, for sure! I asked the principal that afternoon if he would interview me for my portfolio. He told me that there were only a handful of principals who could do so and he was not one. "Could you set that up for me?" ..........some measurable silence followed...... OK then.... He finally responded that he would see what he could do. I continued to work at that school intermittently for 3 weeks. About that time, it was announced that someone else was assigned the leave. I pulled my bootstraps up moving forward. One afternoon while I was cooking dinner the phone rang. It was a principal for another school who was interviewing for a medical leave at the one totally open classroom in the district. I was one of 5 women who were interviewed for the position. The interview lasted 90 mins. The position was for a 2 week - total of 10 school days - leave...seriously. I didn't get the position, but felt renewed that I was selected even though I hadn't been videotaped. The principal promised me that she would put me on the preferred sub list. Never happened. I continued to sub through January. I was getting phone calls from principals and their secretaries, teachers, aides, at home for dates stretching out to April! I was so excited! I was being tapped daily! This was it!!! I thought I was on the right path
Brian called in early January and asked if I would come out to help with the kids while Megan was going to have surgery. I went to Boston for 8 weeks. It was wonderful to be with the grandchildren for so long. The kids are getting bigger and more fun every day! We had ourselves a few adventures. While I was there it snowed 72 inches. They had to have a front loader shovel out the driveway. I thought I was never going to see the grass again! Being with the grandkids for this amount of time was a priceless treasure to me. Time went by quickly, as it does when you are having fun. Megan recovered and I went home in February.
When I started to sub again right away. There were a multitude of postings for everything from full-time aide positions to part time reading specialists. I applied to everything. Many of the other, younger, subs were called in for interviews securing jobs. Things didn't look any better in March. Summer positions and Basic Skills postions were being posted. All the young girls, former student teachers, recently graduated or with under 3 years experience were being interviewed.
I may be getting slow in my old age, but I was beginning to notice a pattern. One day, at the worst school in the district, I went into the principal's office and told him I was the solution to his problem. He looked at me like I was crazy. He didn't think he had any problems.... Well one of his teachers was seriously ill. There was a different sub in that room for 15 out of 20 days in a month. Needless to say, the class was out of control and other subs talked about this class warning people not to take the job. I relayed this information to the principal after I was in the room for 3 days. It had been recognized that I had control of the class and things were going smoothly while I was there. I told him I would LOVE to be the teacher on call for this room every time the teacher was out because in second grade children need a consistent, structured environment. I handed him my resume, 10 recommendation letters and phone numbers of people who would vouch for me. He said he would read and call. Surprise! He never did.... the pattern continued to the end of the year...
I was subbing in a school at the edge of Westerville, when another school's secretary asked me if I was interested in a maternity replacement position. Of course I was... finally! Was I available from April 11th through the 21st? Sure!!!! Woo hoo! Woo hoo! Woo hoo! Finally!! [cue music and dancing in the street] ...Wait..... 9 school days.... They didn't have Easter week off....something doesn't ring true here. 9 days for a maternity leave? Is that even legal? So I went to see the principal the next day. #1 She barely looked up from her computer. #2 She said, and I quote, "Who are you? What do you want?" (and she wasn't kidding) Throw a brick at my face, why don't ya? I knew something was not right.... I told her who I was, to which she grunted a response, and turned to continue her perusal of her computer monitor. I asked about the 9 day stint... She said, again quoting, "Well, the person we REALLY want isn't available before Easter. You are just the fill-in until she can get here." Ok then.... I did speak to this principal after I did the 9 day gig. She said she had many calls from parents asking for me to be the permanent sub, however, she had promised the position to this other chick. She did have the aplumb to say that she would have liked me in there instead as I had #1 a good relationship with the kids #2 a good handle of how to speak to parents (there were 3 incidence, hard as this may be to believe, in my short tenure in the classroom. Parents were called. Meetings were set up. Discussions were fruitful. I set this next sub up to win, believe me. #3 had the respect of her teachers #4 seemed to "fit in well." However, it was like West Windsor all over again... The last day I was there the principal and I had "a talk." She said, "You didn't want a full time position anyway, did you?" What did she think I was doing working all those days? I said, "Why, as a matter of fact, I was..." She laughed in my face, saying, "Seriously? You have several things going against you: You don't have an Ohio degree. You have too much experience. You are too expensive.(did anyone tell her that they weren't going to pay me for more than 5 years experience anyway?) You aren't 20. (isn't that age discrimination?!?) You don't know anyone high enough to get you an interview.... I was waiting for someone, anyone to be frank. I guess I needed that slap in the face to make me realize this was just a pipe dream. Of course I was upset...devastated. But I pulled myself up by my bootstratps and realized it was time to shift sails.
Soon after returning from Boston, I had a thought that if I couldn't get a job as a teacher, I would be a helluva Nanny! Imagine - me as Mary Poppins! Perfect! I searched the internet and came upon Nanny.com. What did I have to lose? I was a mother. I was a grandmother. I was a teacher. I certainly had enough qualifications to do this! I looked through the listings. I saw one here in Galena. What are the odds? Maybe it was someone really close! I filled out the general application and sent my resume. I was called to be interviewed on a cold February day. Unfortunately, I was subbing, then went grocery shopping after work and didn't get the call until 5:30 for a 5:40 interview. hmmmm... what to do? I called and asked if there was another slot open to be interviewed. "Yes. We are interviewing the last person for today now. You can come at 6:15." Sure thing! The interview lasted 3 hours. The baby was 6 weeks old. Mom and Dad were there asking questions. The baby had colic. Now most of you know me... can I just let people do their thing when they are obviously wrong.... no. So here I am, on an interview, telling and showing them what to do with this screaming infant. Here was the situation: Mom works from home for a major pharmaceutical as a Clinical Director, and Dad manages the OSU airport. The baby's vaccines would be delayed until he was two, which would immediately cause issues with him being admitted into nursery school/kindergarten. He would need to be home-schooled for, at least Kindergarten and 1st Grade. (Why wouldn't that just be perfect!)I would work 3 days a week to start. We went through my background, credentials, FBI/CSI fingerprinting, etc. It seemed to go well but they were interviewing more people on Monday. Okay, whatever. I was subbing the following week every single day. To make a long story short, two weeks later, I had a job! But.... I had already taken the 9-day maternity leave. The parents worked with me and I did my last subbing gig,then started humming Just a spoonful of sugar daily with Brayden Lane Eppley. ..... and before I started the days went from three to four.... even better!
I was subbing in a school at the edge of Westerville, when another school's secretary asked me if I was interested in a maternity replacement position. Of course I was... finally! Was I available from April 11th through the 21st? Sure!!!! Woo hoo! Woo hoo! Woo hoo! Finally!! [cue music and dancing in the street] ...Wait..... 9 school days.... They didn't have Easter week off....something doesn't ring true here. 9 days for a maternity leave? Is that even legal? So I went to see the principal the next day. #1 She barely looked up from her computer. #2 She said, and I quote, "Who are you? What do you want?" (and she wasn't kidding) Throw a brick at my face, why don't ya? I knew something was not right.... I told her who I was, to which she grunted a response, and turned to continue her perusal of her computer monitor. I asked about the 9 day stint... She said, again quoting, "Well, the person we REALLY want isn't available before Easter. You are just the fill-in until she can get here." Ok then.... I did speak to this principal after I did the 9 day gig. She said she had many calls from parents asking for me to be the permanent sub, however, she had promised the position to this other chick. She did have the aplumb to say that she would have liked me in there instead as I had #1 a good relationship with the kids #2 a good handle of how to speak to parents (there were 3 incidence, hard as this may be to believe, in my short tenure in the classroom. Parents were called. Meetings were set up. Discussions were fruitful. I set this next sub up to win, believe me. #3 had the respect of her teachers #4 seemed to "fit in well." However, it was like West Windsor all over again... The last day I was there the principal and I had "a talk." She said, "You didn't want a full time position anyway, did you?" What did she think I was doing working all those days? I said, "Why, as a matter of fact, I was..." She laughed in my face, saying, "Seriously? You have several things going against you: You don't have an Ohio degree. You have too much experience. You are too expensive.(did anyone tell her that they weren't going to pay me for more than 5 years experience anyway?) You aren't 20. (isn't that age discrimination?!?) You don't know anyone high enough to get you an interview.... I was waiting for someone, anyone to be frank. I guess I needed that slap in the face to make me realize this was just a pipe dream. Of course I was upset...devastated. But I pulled myself up by my bootstratps and realized it was time to shift sails.
Soon after returning from Boston, I had a thought that if I couldn't get a job as a teacher, I would be a helluva Nanny! Imagine - me as Mary Poppins! Perfect! I searched the internet and came upon Nanny.com. What did I have to lose? I was a mother. I was a grandmother. I was a teacher. I certainly had enough qualifications to do this! I looked through the listings. I saw one here in Galena. What are the odds? Maybe it was someone really close! I filled out the general application and sent my resume. I was called to be interviewed on a cold February day. Unfortunately, I was subbing, then went grocery shopping after work and didn't get the call until 5:30 for a 5:40 interview. hmmmm... what to do? I called and asked if there was another slot open to be interviewed. "Yes. We are interviewing the last person for today now. You can come at 6:15." Sure thing! The interview lasted 3 hours. The baby was 6 weeks old. Mom and Dad were there asking questions. The baby had colic. Now most of you know me... can I just let people do their thing when they are obviously wrong.... no. So here I am, on an interview, telling and showing them what to do with this screaming infant. Here was the situation: Mom works from home for a major pharmaceutical as a Clinical Director, and Dad manages the OSU airport. The baby's vaccines would be delayed until he was two, which would immediately cause issues with him being admitted into nursery school/kindergarten. He would need to be home-schooled for, at least Kindergarten and 1st Grade. (Why wouldn't that just be perfect!)I would work 3 days a week to start. We went through my background, credentials, FBI/CSI fingerprinting, etc. It seemed to go well but they were interviewing more people on Monday. Okay, whatever. I was subbing the following week every single day. To make a long story short, two weeks later, I had a job! But.... I had already taken the 9-day maternity leave. The parents worked with me and I did my last subbing gig,then started humming Just a spoonful of sugar daily with Brayden Lane Eppley. ..... and before I started the days went from three to four.... even better!
.JPG)
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment