EMU Job Fair

Tuesday afternoon I drove up to MI. I spent the evening with my best friend and her boys. We haven't seen each other in year. Yesterday, was the teacher job fair at Eastern Michigan University. This is the largest job fair in the state of MI. The number of school districts were down, due mainly to the recession and districts cutting back on expenses. There were schools there from Alaska and Hawaii. I talked to schools from Kansas, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. There is a charter school I am interested in working at, here in OH. Turns out, my best friend's boys goes to one of these schools, and they have high praise for these schools. I mentioned it and so we will see. I have applications to fill out, emails to send, and doing some online research about a variety of schools. Will see what happens from this. I did have a couple of screening interviews. I have now added Kansas to my states of interest in thinking of moving to depending on getting a job. They are OH, NC, SC, and KS.

NOTED and Curriculum

Yesterday, April 2, was NOTED (North East Ohio Teacher Education Day), in downtown Akron, hosted by 10-12 different local universities. We had between 2-2 1/2 hours of meet and greet time. That was good, but with over 500 attendees, and over 80 school districts, that makes for long lines. By 10:30 am, I had one interview scheduled for the afternoon. I couldn't get any more interviews, either they were full, only doing so many, or not doing any interviews at all that day. I was disappointed. I gave out over 20 resume packets. I wanted more interviews. Even though I was, and am still, disappointed, I know God knows what He is doing? He has a plan to prosper me, not to harm me (Jeremiah 29:11). I just have to keep my faith in God and wait for his timing. I kept my talks to NC and OH schools. I had a list of schools I was interested in checking out, plus I added a few more once I got there to the site yesterday morning.

My interview didn't go very well, basically we just went over my resume. The interviewer kinda took it part and told me what to do it make it better. She told me to add back a school I was only at for 3 months. I was told to take it off of my resume. By putting it back on, it would not show any holes on my resume. When I fill out applications, I don't even put that school down, I skip it.

I was able to get a couple of other interviews by walking around the room looking for empty chairs and asking if they were free. I think the second interview was a good lead. I was told to call up ODE to find out how I am Highly Qualified in teaching science, and how it get it as an endorsement on my OH teaching certificate. It is on my TX teaching certificate. I sent an email to somebody in ODE last night. I will give them today to respond, then I will start calling them next week to get answers to my questions. The third interview, I thought was weird. I couldn't tell if the person, who was talking, was giving me reasons to move to that area or reasons to stay away. It didn't seem like an interview. Didn't ask me questions at all.

All I can do is give it all over to the Lord and wait to see where He leads me in all of this. I have a few more applications to fill out and figure out to write thank you notes to.

There is a month left in this semester. I am registered to take two classes this summer, and I am going to try to take a third class. There are a couple of classes I am interested in for the fall. I have four projects due between May 6-9. One of them I have to present, as well as turn in a written report and hopefully before it is due, so that it can be graded. This project I am doing it on Staff Development. I am having a hard time narrowing it down. I started my research the other day. I have an idea on how to narrow it down. There is a paper on a curriculum theorist I have to write. I found a couple of books, but he only wrote a small portion of the book. Somebody helped me find some articles on this person. I just have to print them up and study them. A classmate, in another class, let me borrow articles for this person, since I am doing the same one she chose. Next week is spring break, so that gives me time to do some research, read, and work on them. It is all mind boggling!

EMU Job Fair

Last week, was the Eastern Michigan University Job Fair. I went up the day before, so I could see my best friend. We haven't seen each other in a year. Her oldest turned 13, she now has a teenager, later in the week. It was good to see her and her boys. We had a nice visit.

I gave out about 20 resume packets. I only spoke to people from ID, WV, NC, and SC. I asked people from NC and SC who do I contact about setting up interviews for the next week, since I was heading down to Charlotte that weekend. I started making phone calls that afternoon. I left messages, and a majority didn't call me back.

March Job Fair

Today, was the teacher job fair at AU. Over sixy school districts were there. I had 11 interviews today, and I gave out 24 resume packets. I recieved two possible job offers, one of those I actually signed a letter of intent/contract. I had interviews with districts from the following states: AZ, KS, NV, GA, SC, NC, and MD. There was even a school district there from Alaska.

I tried to get into as many OH school district lines, but they were long. I gave to a few of thoe districts, but the majority of my packets went to the out of state districts.

The district with the possible job, I have to fill out the application and make sure they have all of my info. They are having their own job fair April 19. I can go down there, meet and interview with principals that I would be interested working with, and those who are interested with me, just decide where I want to work, and can leave there with a job for next school year. That is what I go from my conversation with them. If I don't get something next month, then I would be given a school to teach out come around July 1.

I need to pray about all of this, do my job, research the area and different schools, go down a day early to check out the area. This job fair is the same week, that I am going back up to EMU for their teacher job fair.

I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom in this area. God has a place for me to teach at, He will reveal it in time.

EMU Teacher Job Fair

Tuesday, April 17, was the 20th annunal Teacher job fair at Eastern Michigan University. I went up to MI the afternoon before, after subbing. I spent a few hours with my best friend and her 3 sons. We hadn't seen each other since New Year's Eve 2005.

My first EMU job fair was in 1994, and that is when I first became interested in TX. I went back in 1995, and made my first two trips to TX that summer. Nothing came of those trips. I looked in OH and went to the Akron U job fair. I went back up to MI in 1998. I made a trip to MI at the end of May that year, and moved down to Houston that August.

This year, there were school districts from MI (duh!), MN, OR, CA, AZ, AK, KS, IL, IN, LA, TX, KY, OH, TN, NY, AL, MD, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, NY, and a couple of International recruiters. I visited recruiters from AZ, KS, VA, MD, FL, SC, and NC. I tell them all that I am interested in 4th or 5th, but I am flexible. FL, SC, VA, NC, and MD sounds interesting to me. A school district from MD gave me a letter of interest for ESOL. It is not a contract, but a letter saying that we are both interested in each other, and if I fulfill all the requirements, I will be offered a job. This district is just outside of D.C. Another district, this one from SC is also interested in me. I was told that they were interested in offering me a letter of intent. I said that I wanted to check out the website first. I sent them an email, saying I was interested in the letter of intent. Will see...

Trying to talk my mom into making a road trip to check out some different school districts and their areas. I am hoping to move to a different state later this summer. I have applications to fill out. I have to request more copies of my transcripts, which cost $, for these different school districts, because they will not accept copies. They want orginial copies sent to them.

I thanked the Lord on Tuesday for the interest I recieved from these different school districts. I have already been praying about Tuesday, and asking the Father for his will and not for mine. I am asking for him for his will about where I will work.

First Job Fair of the Year

Today was the first Teacher Job Fair of the year. It was held at Akron U. I just got registered this week. People were able to sign up for interviews in advance and because of that, some districts had no openings today for interviews. There were 57 districts from 11 states.

There was a meet and greet from 9-9:45, where you talk to as many school districts as possible and try to get as many interviews as possible for the rest of the day. I was able to get three for before lunch and two for after lunch. After my fourth interview, I had an hour and half before my last one was scheduled. I sat/stood close to the person who was giving announcements during the day, and was able to get three more interviews. I ended up with a total of eight interviews for the day. I had four with in state districts and four from out of state districts. Two of my out of state districts I had already applied with. One in the fall and one last week.

One of the in state schools was a Catholic school from my hometown, and the principal seemed to like me.

My next teacher job fair is next month in MI, at the school I got my Bachelor's from. Will see what happens from today.