Hello, Old Friend

Well, as you may have noticed (assuming anyone is still out there) I have had a serious lack of blogging over the past few months. I've been SUPER busy and SUPER stressed. But it's time for an update.

Let's start from where we left off, shall we?
My long-term substitute position ended in mid-May. It went very well. It ended up being a very enjoyable experience overall and I have to say it really helped to prepare me for having a classroom in the future. I administered their state achievement tests, so that was great experience also. I had a very strong bond with the students. It was almost sad to leave.

In my most recent post, I said, "...I guess we will see where I am at come July..."

Well, here it is, July, and guess what?

No job.
At least not a real, full-time, have-my-own-classroom teaching job.
I am currently working as a summer preschool teacher in a very urban location. I enjoy my job, but some of the students have very, very severe behavior problems. Problems I've never seen before. I get kicked, punched, scratched, and cussed at on a daily basis. So, needless to say, my current job is very difficult, but I manage.

I am continuing the job search on a daily basis. I have applied to over 50 places and still, nothing. One of the jobs I applied for had over 536 applicants. And the districts always find someone internally.

I had an interview at a charter school, but it seemed our views did not really align. I personally do not believe a Kindergarten student should be doing 2 hours of homework each night. The school did. I am actually glad that it ended up working out that way; I would not have felt comfortable working in a place that required me to carry out things I do not agree with.

All I want is for someone to give me a chance. One chance, and I will prove to them that I can contribute significantly to their school, to their district, to their children. I am more than willing to go above and beyond 100% to be the best teacher I can be. I just need that one chance.

So, as you may have guessed, posting probably won't be as frequent as I would like it to be without a real job. Or any interviews. Or anything to report in regards to teaching really at all.

Last year, on my birthday, the boyfriend got me this book:

It hurts so much to look at it now because all I want to do is read it and have a reason to be reading it.
Some people (me being one of them) are a little worried that I haven't found a job by now. Many others, though, keep telling me that no school districts hire people until August anyway, so there is no need to worry.

I truly hope August comes with the promise of a job.

Pretty please.