I Interviewed [and lived to tell about it...]

Last night was somewhat stressful. I kept it pretty under control, but I was stressed because I've had, oh, 6 months to come up with SOME kind of portfolio and the hardcore procrastinator in me hadn't done a thing. Sure, I kept a file folder stuffed with my Credential, old lesson plans, some printed pictures, student work, a couple of letters of recommendation, etc. BUT, I hadn't written any kind of "philosophy statement", thoughts/philosophies on a Language Arts curriculum, thoughts on my Classroom Management [aka "discipline"], etc. I ran down [actually, I took a bus] to OfficeMax to buy some of those 3-ring binder sleeves that you can slip paper documents into. I was so lost in my own head that I couldn't figure out that the guy who was ringing me out was talking to me when he said 3 times, "Dude, 'Yes' or 'No'?" [I paid with my ATM card and the machine wanted to know if I wanted cash back...]

When I got home, I called both Miles and the last teacher that I worked with at Alvarado. I wasn't so sure that Miles would call back - he has been absent all summer. But, he called. It was good to hear from him, and I got just the right amount of encouragement that I needed from him. I talked for awhile with the Alvarado teacher. Unfortunately, she couldn't talk long and seemed a bit distracted because she had just taken her dog to the vet. The dog is 17 years old and apparently not doing very well. She was a HUGE help, though. She had been a part of some of the panel interviews in past years, and I threw some catch phrases her way which I was thinking about using. She helped me re-word things so that they would sound better. My main concern was walking a balance between being prim and professional, and just being myself. I want someone to hire me because of me, and I want them to know what they are getting from the beginning. Plus, I know that I would never hire someone who walked in, sat perfectly upright, showed very little emotion, and took it all way too seriously. That just isn't me. I'm a casual guy. I like to make people laugh.

I spent all night in front of the computer working on a portfolio, sentences that I would say in answer to random questions swimming through my head. I woke up 3 or 4 times in the night, again, with "answers" to Principal questions on my mind. I woke up about 8am, wrote a quick bio, cover page, printed out some choice photos [kids messing up my hair on a field trip... Look here! Kids LOVE me!], threw my portfolio together, did a few Sun Salutes [yoga poses], showered, shaved, and ate some Special K [I've now got enough UPCs to get the FREE Step-o-Meter!]. When I went to pull the shirt I intended to wear out of the wardrobe and saw that it wasn't there, I remembered that Brian had taken it to LA with him, so it was probably still in his bag [he got home last night to a frantic me - not so much fun for him]. Yep, there it was, WRINKLED TO HELL, with a couple bits of dried something or other on it. I ironed it, and it looked pretty good, especially paired with some grey pants and black shoes. I call it my MOD outfit.

I got to the school about 20 minutes early and the school was dark and empty. There was a note on the office door asking interviewees to sit and wait, which I did. Then, I heard laughter coming from the Principal's office - a LOT of laughter and I thought, "Damn, that person is KILLING in there!" The laughter died and the Principal - in jeans and a t-shirt [he's younger than me - so, like, probably 30 or 31] - came out to bring me into his office. I didn't see anyone leave so I asked, "Did you have an interview before this?" They said that, yes, they just did - I guessed the person must have been ushered out through another door. Then, dork that I am, I said [like I just did to you], "I heard a bunch of laughter and thought, 'Wow. That person is KILLING in there.'" Why do I say these things out loud. The other day at the place that I was temping, I got into the elevator with this other guy that worked in the office [we had been introduced] and I saw that he was carrying a bottle of Lemon-Lime Gatorade. Without thinking I blurted out, "There's this stuff called Airborne that you can drink at the first sign of a cold and it tastes like Lemon-Lime Gatorade mixed with chicken juice." What a dork.

It was really strange, on the bus on the way to the interview I started thinking about the various teaching experiences that I've had so far - including thinking about the girl with autism - and I just about busted out crying. Tears welled, and I just thought, "This is SO becoming a reality." I'm going to be a total wreck when I get a call telling me that I got a job. And when I walk into my first classroom for the first time... I'm bringing a box of tissues.

SO, all in all, the interview went really well - from my point of view. It was a panel deal with the Principal, a 4/5 teacher, a primary grade special education teacher, a special ed consultant [or something like that...], and a parent. They asked me to tell them about myself and 15 minutes later I took a breath. No, not really. But, I did go on and on and on and on - giving them plenty of details that they probably didn't need to hear. But, I really wanted to get in there that I had done a teaching program, including a student teaching experience, 10 years ago, walked away from teaching for awhile, and then came rushing back after having an epiphony while sitting in a cubicle at a temp job. I thought that it was an important story to tell - sort of a "prodigal son returns", tear at the heartstrings, "he must REALLY be sure that teaching is his calling" kind of story.

At one point, the parent, after already having asked a question, mentioned that she wanted to ask another one. "Crap" I thought. "I said something that didn't agree with her and she's going to ask me about it." Well, here's what she said:

I CAN SEE THAT YOU TALK A LOT.

Yep. You read it right. I can honestly say that I don't think that ANYONE has EVER said that about me. She followed up by saying that her son went to a camp this summer and he told his mom that all of the teachers there talked too much. Of course, my response was that I DO tend to talk a lot - ramble, get tangential - when I'm in a situation such as an interview. Then, I went on to explain that in the classroom I don't hog the floor. Teachers are "facilitators", there to help kids discover things on their own, not there to stand in front of the class and spout out things that they think kids should know. I went on and on and on and on. Yep. I responded to her comment about how I talk to much by insisting that I don't, and then RAMBLING ON AND ON AND ON about how I don't for a couple of minutes. Dork.

I don't know. Again, I feel pretty good about it. It lasted about 35 minutes and there really wasn't a time where I felt uncomfortable or caught off guard by a question. Sure, 2 of the teachers seemed a bit bored, not even really looking at me, but I could tell that I was really getting through to one of the teachers. I WAS myself [hopped up a bit on nerves and yoga adrenaline] - maybe a little bit TOO myself - and I did the best that I could. That's all that I could ask of myself.

At the end, the Principal said, "So, anything else?" [Clearly, the next interviewee had shown up] I said, "Well, I've got stuff that you could look at - pictures, lesson plans..." Blank stares. "Ok, well, thanks a lot. Again, I feel honored to have been put on your short list..." Yeah, I freaked out about getting this portfolio together and I didn't even get to pull it out of my bag! MAN!

Well, at least I've got SOME kind of portfolio. I'll bring it to the interview that I have on Monday for a Preschool teacher. I'd love to get the job at Alvarado, but at this point I'd almost be happier working in a preschool. Even though the one that I'm interviewing at is run by a couple of sisters and seems a bit "homemade/Mom & Pop". There's always still the possibility of Head Start, though.