Last 5 months in a nutshell

Warning this is my longest post ever! :)

I graduated from college this past fall with an undergrad degree in Elementary Education. During this time I also had landed my “dream” opportunity. The job I had been hoping to get - a permanent subbing job for the spring semester. It’s a great opportunity because you are assigned to a specific school and you go there every day. Even on days when you do not sub. You help out wherever they need you to. You’re hired by the district so you’re an employee and receive.

This does not apply to regular subs as they are more like independent contractors.

Instead of looking for a teaching job for the fall as a permanent sub you apply as an internal transfer. Essentially you have priority over people outside the district.

I was assigned to a school in a very ghetto area of Chandler. This was the first school I had been to where everything was locked up and safety was an issue.

And this is just Chandler not inner-city Phoenix. I cannot even imagine what Phoenix was like. I have been at schools that have been culturally diverse there was a good mix of different nationalities in the classrooms. This school was almost all strictly one nationality and I was in the minority.

I never really have been the minority before. I did feel like I stuck out. I actually didn’t feel like my skin color stuck out - just my very processed blonde hair.

I went around to different rooms and I loved “seeing” the English Language Learners process (ELL) and how ELL students learned. Up to this point I had only read and learned about ELL students in my college classes. It was truly an amazing experience to see if first hand.

I subbed in various grades some where outside of the ages I want to teach (I want to teach in grades in my preference order 3, 2, and 4). Maybe as I get experience I will be able to expand to other grades.

One day I was even a P.E. teacher. It was actually pretty fun and I had so much free time because all of the breaks. When you are a teacher in Chandler you get a 30 min prep time when the kids are at specials and by the time you take the kids to lunch and pick them up about a 35 min lunch. The PE teacher had a 50 min morning break and hour and 15 min lunch and then was done 15 minutes before school ended. I think I picked the wrong field in teaching. ;-)

My dream job lasted two weeks. I received a call when I was helping out in somebody’s classroom.

HR: “Hi Angela! Did you find out if you passed the tests? They posted the grades a few days ago”.
ME: “Yes, I didn’t pass. I signed up last month to take Saturdays test. I am getting my sub certificate tomorrow”
HR: “Oh, that’s too bad. I am sorry to hear that. You know that getting your teaching certificate is part of the criteria to be a permanent sub. Don’t feel bad you are not the only one in this position. The good news is that you can be a regular sub! Would you like to tell the principle or would you like me to?”
Me: “I’ll tell him”.

Maybe I should have had her tell him. But I wanted to be an adult so I went and told him. I gathered up all of my courage and went down to his office. Of course I started crying. I tried so hard not to. I always cry when something is boring me and I have to talk about it.

This was the first time I had heard about having to have my “teaching” certificate. At the orientation in December they asked who didn’t have one. Those of who didn’t have one raised our hands and told them how the state delayed the test results. They delayed the test scores for one of the tests. So, instead of receiving the scores in a month we didn’t receive the scores for almost 4 months.

There went my dream opportunity. It is what it is. I can’t be mad about it. What does being mad about it do? Nothing, I can’t change anything.

If anything it was nice to now have extra time. Since I no longer was report to a school every day. Instead I started getting to sleep in.

With the economy the way that it is there is a surplus of substitute teachers and it’s a total schmooze fest to get a job. I don’t like to sub that much to be networking and getting my name out there. Someone told me there was something like 300 subs for an average of 90 jobs or something like that.

Lisa, my teacher for student teacher has given my name to a few teachers. I do get a few jobs that way. Lisa always asks me first if I want to sub for my old class. It’s fun to sub for my students. I still can’t get over that I get paid to teach them – weird concept after being with them for 4 months for free. They are a goofy group.

The last time I was there one of the boys. I will call him Herman came up to me and said that someone called him a ‘rotten cupcake’ in the boy’s bathroom. I am going to be a horrible teacher because I totally laughed. I can usually control myself when they get called a girl chasing cootie or whatever odd names like that. But a “rotten cupcake” that’s funny. After I laughed I just said, “Herman you know you are not a rotten cupcake.” --See bad teacher in the making right hear folks.

It’s also nice seeing them because they think I’m amazing. I seriously have my own fan group. I even got told last time that I looked like Ashley Tisdale – I wish I was young, skinny, and hot. Maybe I would not choose to be that young but younger would be better!

Since I have graduated when I go to the school I student taught at I will hear my name being called from across campus, it’s cute and sometimes a little embarrassing. I seriously have my own fan club. I am also bombarded by hugs. I will have one boy who will sneak up behind me and hug me. Or sometimes will get 10 of them hugging me. That is always a little bit weird but still sweet. I always leave feeling as happy as a clam after seeing them.

I am subbing for Lisa 3 times at the end of this month. I cannot wait to see my old kiddos.

When I was first offered the permanent sub job I was seriously thinking of quitting my old job. I started working their over 10 years ago. I love my hourly rate and well I’m not going to lie its pretty awesome. Plus they are so flexible with my schedule. But I am bored out of my mind and ready for change. They would allow me to work 10 hours a week at hours of my choice when I was doing the perm sub job. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it but didn’t know if I wanted to give up the money. I decided to work both jobs until I couldn’t handle it anymore. I am so relieved that I decided not to quit.

So, since January 5th I have been working 10 hours a week at my old job. My work schedule Monday-Friday 3:30-5:30 (to accommodate days I was subbing).

Starting this week I decided to start working more hours. I was going to work 30 hours a week so I could start accruing sick and vacation time (since I’ve been here so long I get 6 weeks total a year). Last minute I chickened out and decided I was not ready to commit to the 30 hours a week. With the sub jobs I have at the end of the month I was worried about how I would make up the hours the hours.

I think I found a happy medium. I will be working 20 hours a week starting next week (I can stay more if I want to make more money). I need more money my car needs to go into the shop and it always seems to cost about $900 bucks, that I don’t have. So a working I will be.

I just won’t get the sick and vacation time. But, I’m okay with that. It just would have been a nice perk. I am really glad that I didn’t agree to 30 hours at the beginning of the week. I had told them I would just work 30 hours this week and I am already so tired and miss all my extra time.

The economy in Arizona is a little turbulent for a little while. I wasn’t really worried about it affecting me. After all, my old job is always hiring and then there is always a need for teachers or that’s what I had been told. Over the last few weeks there have been lots of items in the news about school budget cuts. And now a lot of teachers are getting pink slips. Now I’ll be applying for fewer jobs and more applicants who have a year or two of experience that I don’t have.

A few weeks I wasn’t really worried since I have my old job and I can work here until things are better in Arizona. But after working 30 hours this week I have come to realize that I need to get out of here and become a teacher. I have been doing the same thing for the past 5 years. I don’t really want to go to another area within the company. It has really made me realize that I need to get serious about finding a teacher job. Plus I really am meant to be a teacher.

I’m not even going to start applying for jobs until I have my certificate. I find out on April 27 if I passed the test this time. I am nervous but I feel like I should pass this time.

I was talking to my friend Stella who lives in Texas earlier this week. I asked her about the teaching field over there to see if it was similar to things here.

They are actually hiring and not having the problems that we are here. I remember looking up the pay scales a few years ago there and the pay was a lot more there. When I looked the other day it was actually a lot more than I remember it being.

Here first year teachers with their undergrad degree start out at 31,000-35,600 depending on the district. Over there the different districts that I have looked start out at 42,000-44,500. That is a HUGE difference. Rent prices are just a little bit higher here. I think only because stuff as dropped a lot the past year. I am going to apply in a few weeks (if I passed my test). Right now I have 0 teaching experience. What’s the worse that can happen? I move to Houston hate it and move back to Arizona back with a year or two or teaching experience?

I am a little excited and nervous about the prospects of going out into the big bad world all on my own. Probably something I should have done years ago but I was never 100% ready.

I am little obsessed with the idea of moving to Houston I keep looking at rentals, school sites, state website, and figuring out different budgets.

I was born in Texas and do have family there. Although I think it’s a bit of a drive to see them. And then I have Stella who I have known since before we had boobs. So, I wouldn’t be completely alone in a new place. She would be busy with her family but it would be so nice to have a familiar face, especially hers! Oh how I miss her.

I have never moved far away from home. I might be ready for the challenge. If this is what I’m doing I have lots of work to do over the next 3.5 months. The first thing is figuring out getting my finger print clearance card. That’s a long drive for a finger print.

Happy Easter!