Big. Huge. News.
2004-11-23 at 2:46 p.m.
It happened.I was afraid I'd jinxed it, but it's happened.
I'm going to be paid to teach.
Two weeks ago, the administrator for the math department approached me and asked if I'd like to apply to take over for a teacher who's leaving on sabbatical for the rest of the year. Technically, I wouldn't have my licensure until March, but there's something called a Temporary Restricted Licensure in Oregon where I could get my license early and complete my M.Ed. later. Would I be interested?
Do bears shit on Catholic Popes? Uh, yes please, I'm pretty sure I'm interested!
So I interviewed. I interviewed with the head of the math department, the teacher who's leaving, the aforementioned administrator, and another administrator. I wasn't sure how I'd done because who is? They asked me eight questions:
1. What makes a good teacher?
2. What would your previous boss say was your strongest and weakest points*
3. A student has gotten really far behind in his work. His mom has approached you in how the student can catch up. What do you do?
4. What will you do to help you students acheive on the statewide acheivement tests?**
5. (Warning, math geekery ahead) What is your opinion of constructivism versus traditional teaching?***
6. Describe your typical instructional day.
And there were two other questions, but I don't remember them.
This is HUGE. I can't emphasize how huge this is to those who aren't teachers. This is beyond huge, it's ginormous. I had been planning my life as if I wasn't going to get a job AT BEST until next September. But here I am, about to get paid to do something I'm SO prepared to do that I'm practically quivering underneath my skin.
Stay tuned! Much fun stuff ahead.
*This is my LEAST FAVORITE INTERVIEW QUESTION OF ALL TIME. Seriously, it's not something you can answer giving any real insight into how you are as a teacher/administrator/gofer, it's something you answer by playing mindgames. It shows how good you are at playing political games. "What can I answer this with, a fault that's not really a fault? Hmmmm... 'I'm a perfectionist...' or something?" This question is the biggest cop-out. It always makes me slightly disappointed in the interviewer. (For the record, I said I was a fast learner, and that my weakest point according to my last boss was probably that I was too blunt, but I prefer to think of it as straight-forward.)
**This was a good question, one I should have been prepared for and so wasn't. And, as it turns out, one in which I quoted one of the interviewers to himself, which I didn't realize until he started giggling to himself. "That was you that said that, wasn't it," I said ruefully. "I wasn't sucking up, I swear!"
***A fantastic question, in case you have no idea what it means, don't worry about it.
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