I am very please to announce that I am now employed! And as has been the theme of these past few months, it was not what I set out to do, but I am so happy!
I am now the Lead AM Teacher for the older 2 year-old class at Bright Start Learning Center! Though I graduated Clemson with a degree in Early Childhood Education and have been in and out of schools in many different settings, I've never had my own class! To say I'm not a little nervous or intimidated would be a lie, but I'm more excited than anything else. It is a relief to have the job search over and I can't say enough how happy that it landed in this (unexpected) place!
When I first started job searching, I was going specifically for church or school administration - admissions, secretary, assistant director, etc. Having come off a year and a half of administrative work at K-Life, which I loved, I thought it would be a great fit. I had one interview with an international adoption agency that I was really excited about, but in the end they went with someone who had more direct experience. No big.
I realize my resume lent more toward education jobs and I had really enjoyed the last 6 months in Denver substituting/assisting at an Early Learning Center, so I told Aaron that if I didn't have anything else by September, I'd start looking into teaching jobs. Yes, I have to admit, it was a last resort. I think just from past experiences not being awesome and loving other jobs in the past that were more task oriented, I wanted to stick to that. Clearly, I don't know what is best.
Anyway, September came and I started looking on Craigslist. I immediately had an interview for a 2-year old classroom and went for the interview. The director offered me the position on the spot, but there was a lot to think about. Firstly, it was about a 45 minute drive away with traffic. Secondly, Canon was too young to go, so we would have to find him daycare for at least a year, which meant more driving to drop him off. Thirdly, daycare in this area is ridiculously expensive, I almost can't even talk about. Fourthly, realistically, the pay (with paying for full-time separate daycare) wasn't enough. We could have made it work, but it wasn't ideal. So even though I felt incredibly guilty about turning down a job when I really needed one, I eventually said no, believing there was something better.
So back to Craigslist I went and sent my resume off to another 2 year old position, this time specifically in Alexandria. I received an e-mail about interviewing and immediately did some research. It was only 20 minutes away! They start at 6 weeks, so Canon could potentially come with me! It was really expensive (which maybe meant more room for good pay?)! I was really looking forward to my interview.
I went in Tuesday morning for an interview and immediately liked it, especially in comparison to the place I saw the week before. I had a great interview with the Director. We get along really well as people, she is someone I could probably talk to about anything, in or outside of work. She also offered me the position at the end of the interview, but this time around I felt really great about it. Though the school has a one year waiting list, she said she could make room for Canon. Though this daycare would be out of our price range otherwise, they offer an employee discount. It is close. There is a ton of natural light in all the rooms. They provide food, diapers and wipes! And its 6:45am-3:15pm, which means we still have the afternoon to play, make dinner, go on walks and have fun together.
All this to say, I obviously called her back on Tuesday night and accepted! Canon and I went in Wednesday and Thursday to get acclimated to our classrooms, both of us. He is doing better and better each day. I have a great group of kids and am ready to make this room "my own." I really like all the other staff and I feel like this is a place I can be for a long time!
I can't say enough how excited I am about this, and how God definitely met the needs of our family through it. He certainly works in mysterious ways!
I am now the Lead AM Teacher for the older 2 year-old class at Bright Start Learning Center! Though I graduated Clemson with a degree in Early Childhood Education and have been in and out of schools in many different settings, I've never had my own class! To say I'm not a little nervous or intimidated would be a lie, but I'm more excited than anything else. It is a relief to have the job search over and I can't say enough how happy that it landed in this (unexpected) place!
When I first started job searching, I was going specifically for church or school administration - admissions, secretary, assistant director, etc. Having come off a year and a half of administrative work at K-Life, which I loved, I thought it would be a great fit. I had one interview with an international adoption agency that I was really excited about, but in the end they went with someone who had more direct experience. No big.
I realize my resume lent more toward education jobs and I had really enjoyed the last 6 months in Denver substituting/assisting at an Early Learning Center, so I told Aaron that if I didn't have anything else by September, I'd start looking into teaching jobs. Yes, I have to admit, it was a last resort. I think just from past experiences not being awesome and loving other jobs in the past that were more task oriented, I wanted to stick to that. Clearly, I don't know what is best.
Anyway, September came and I started looking on Craigslist. I immediately had an interview for a 2-year old classroom and went for the interview. The director offered me the position on the spot, but there was a lot to think about. Firstly, it was about a 45 minute drive away with traffic. Secondly, Canon was too young to go, so we would have to find him daycare for at least a year, which meant more driving to drop him off. Thirdly, daycare in this area is ridiculously expensive, I almost can't even talk about. Fourthly, realistically, the pay (with paying for full-time separate daycare) wasn't enough. We could have made it work, but it wasn't ideal. So even though I felt incredibly guilty about turning down a job when I really needed one, I eventually said no, believing there was something better.
So back to Craigslist I went and sent my resume off to another 2 year old position, this time specifically in Alexandria. I received an e-mail about interviewing and immediately did some research. It was only 20 minutes away! They start at 6 weeks, so Canon could potentially come with me! It was really expensive (which maybe meant more room for good pay?)! I was really looking forward to my interview.
I went in Tuesday morning for an interview and immediately liked it, especially in comparison to the place I saw the week before. I had a great interview with the Director. We get along really well as people, she is someone I could probably talk to about anything, in or outside of work. She also offered me the position at the end of the interview, but this time around I felt really great about it. Though the school has a one year waiting list, she said she could make room for Canon. Though this daycare would be out of our price range otherwise, they offer an employee discount. It is close. There is a ton of natural light in all the rooms. They provide food, diapers and wipes! And its 6:45am-3:15pm, which means we still have the afternoon to play, make dinner, go on walks and have fun together.
All this to say, I obviously called her back on Tuesday night and accepted! Canon and I went in Wednesday and Thursday to get acclimated to our classrooms, both of us. He is doing better and better each day. I have a great group of kids and am ready to make this room "my own." I really like all the other staff and I feel like this is a place I can be for a long time!
I can't say enough how excited I am about this, and how God definitely met the needs of our family through it. He certainly works in mysterious ways!
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