I recently accepted a job as an instructional assistant in a special education classroom. It wasn't what I expected to be doing this next school year, but it's a job and I'm so thankful for it! I had been praying for a job to open and time and time again, they would close soon after applying.
Getting an interview as an elementary teacher is a hard thing, since there are so many other elementary teachers looking for jobs as well.
This time was different. I was planning on having lunch with one of my cooperating teachers from student teaching. Before we were even going to meet up, she texted me asking if I was interested in being an instructional assistant in the special education classroom. I of course was! I didn't even know this job was available, and they were interviewing that day! She spoke with the principal and asked if she had thought about me for the job. She thought since I was certified I wouldn't want to take on a classified job since the pay is less.
I don't care about the pay...that's not why I became a teacher anyways! The principal went on to speak with the special education teacher, since she had worked with me a lot when I was a substitute, and they discussed the possibility of hiring me.
Hours went by and I hadn't heard anything. They had completed interviews already and still nothing... I finally received a call later that night from the principal. She asked why I was interested in the job and if this is really what I could see myself doing this year.
I answered saying, I have considered getting my masters in Special Education, or Early Childhood Education and was really torn between the two. I said this would be a really good opportunity to see if Special Education was right for me and I had already worked with these students so much last year. It wouldn't be much of a transition for them at all, because I wouldn't be that much of a new face to any of them. They all already knew me. She said if I wanted her to put me through as the new instructional assistant she would! I was thrilled!
The following weekend rolled around and I attended my friends wedding. At the reception I sat next to a lady that works at our Board of Ed. for Kids Crew (an after school program for students). She was asking if I'd found a job and what I'd be doing. I told her. She said she also had an opening. It would be four days a week, one hour a day and it would be after school. She was needing a tutor for these students and she had no applicants at the time for the job. We were to start school five days later so she desperately needed someone for the job. I told her I would think about it, check with my principal and teacher and make sure there would be no conflicts with the two jobs.
The following Monday (one week after accepting my first job) I accepted this job as well.
I'm so excited. School starts tomorrow, and I can't wait to see the looks on my students faces when they realize "Mrs. Frizzle" (from the previous post) is one of their new assistants!!!
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