Sometime people just suck

So, it has become clear that this year no one is going to hire me. The local-ish places I've interviewed with all made descions not to hire me. In one case someone who had put in that they were leaving changed their mind and in another case a person who didn't have a master's degree was hired instead of me, simple money there, that person was less expensive to employ. In the third case, I'm not sure on the details, other then I wasn't hired and they missed out. 

SO, I was in a state last night on the was home from work. The school I work for is rapidly going down the drain. They administrator is a nice person, but he is very unproffessional in how he treats staff, playing favorites to a rediculous degree and can be very condescending and patronizing, and just says weird things to people who aren't his very favorite employees. He also lacks intergrity and backbone as a pricipal. The kids get away with mirder if their his favorites. If they aren't, he comes down too hard for the crime. He caves to parental demands because enrollment is down and doesn't enforce any sort or curricular alihgnment or internal standards, other then he told the spanish teacher that if she wanted job security, then more kids needed to make A's in her classes. 

SO a person can see how I would not want to define my teaching career in this place. But, no one is hiring and its a job tha does pay more then a lot of people live on. 

And I graduated today, not officially, but I walked. Will finish three classes this summer and then be done. Being a student had been supplimenting my income to a rather embarassing degree. Rent comes out of tuition, so do most utilities. My overhead here is very low. Low enough that I was paniced about moving out, loosing the supliment that being a student gave me, and having to pick up student loan payments on top of it. 

I was also feeling about the size of a mouse, I mean, four places didn't hire ME? I must be terrible. (And it is possible that I didn't interview well, I'm never good at giving the politically correct answer. I give the mathmatically correct answer, the realistic answer, and I admit to being an uncoordinated nerd when they ask about coaching). So I went and talked with my advisor. Told her the whole situation. And asked her what she thought. 

And we came up with a hair brained solution that I think I may be able to get behind. I'm going to start another master's degree. The one I am finishing is a Master of the Art of Teaching, called the MAT when you look it up in the course catalogue. ITs a bare bones, how to be a teacher program. 

I am going to start a master of science in special education with the emphasis being pre-k thru 12 adaptive education. To this I am going to add an emphasis of ESOL, which is education for SPeakers of Other Languages. This gives me an endorsment to work with kids who don't have good english skills. (it takes about eight years of living in the US for a kid to get to a point that they can use acedimic english, yet no child left behind tests them with native kids, huge demand for people who can work with them to get them profficient and doing better in their classes).

I know it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to someone who isn't in education. But the bottomw line is this, I will still be a teacher, and a student and a mom. I will still be taking a full time master's load and working full time. I will still be at McAuley and probably living in this duplex, although if a home of the right quality and price comes up for rent I'm not opposed to moving. 

This plan has several benefits. It lets me hang around here while the economy gets better, people aren't retiring, or moving now so positions aren't opening. also, schools are making do with fewer teachers. It also will make me a more versitile teacher. I will be able to teach science, trained to work with Esol kids, and trained to take on special ed kids who need extra help or different approaches, but not the ones who need physical therapy or diapers changed. A more versitile person is more valuable, and I can apply for more positions and be more selective about where I want to live. The programs have practicums, which is a fancy way of saying an on the job component. I think I can get McAUley to work with me so that I can do it on my planning period.  That will give me a chance to be seen in public schools, distance myself from the fiasco that is mcauley in the eyes of administrators. 

And the best part, I get to work with the hunder dogs, the creatives who can't sit still, then ones who see the world from a side ways angle, my favorite people to tell the truth. 

So, at the risk of becoming a proffesional student, I'm gonna stay in school, hopefully I'll be a more attatractive employee and the economoy will improve. also we'll be stable. Same place, same schools, same daycare and babysitter for the boys. I hope hope hope that it works. 

I hope I'm not being  a self deluding idiot.