Vocation, Vocation, Vocation

As some of you may know, I have been stressing about finding a job for next year!

Now you're asking, "She's graduating already?!" Not quite.

For the last year of my major, which is Special Education in case you don't know, I can either Student Teach or Intern. Student Teaching involves what you probably already know, but I'll explain anyways. You're under a teacher and you help out in the classroom, eventually taking more control, and then fading back out. You only do this for a semester and you don't get paid. Interning, on the other hand, is where you are basically a first year teacher, but with a mentor teacher. So you are the main teacher of your own classroom with your own students, but you have someone who gives you advice, helps you out with the hard stuff (and in the beginning it's ALL the hard stuff), and blah blah blah. Oh and you get half salary. I have decided to go the intern route because I will learn a ton and earn money for all the work I will put in!

So I have applied to a few positions in Nebo School District (Springville down to Santaquin) and Alpine School District (Orem up to the point of the mountain). Nebo didn't hire me but hired a friend from class for the kindergarten they had an opening with (so I can't be too sad because I like her) and then they wanted me for a Junior High... I have never had an interest in Junior High. You have to deal with puberty, growing kids who might discover that they can actually hurt me when they hit me, puberty, junior high drama, puberty... Oh and possibly starting them on their plans for transitioning out of High School into the real world (I have a class on this right now.... my least favorite so far...). So I've never wanted Junior High, but I was going to consider it, because what if it was my only job offer??

So on Friday was my interview with Alpine. I was interviewing to be a teacher in one of their Small Group Autism Units. This means that it's Kindergarten or the younger elementary ages and it's a group of kids who all have Autism or Asperger's. Wow! You may ask why I want that, but I do! Autism fascinates me. Also, because they want these students to eventually be integrated into all the normal classes as they get older, they really want some great teachers for these classes. So, they set it up so that you co-teach at the beginning of the year, and then as the months go by the teacher fades out and eventually the intern is the only teacher with the other one helping periodically. Fantastic, right? Extremely ideal, if you ask me.

So I interviewed. The man interviewing me was so great and so friendly, so immediately I felt at ease. They had made it clear when I signed up for the interview that I needed to upload my resume, letters of recommendation, etc. onto Alpine's website before the interview, which I did, and yet he seemed pleasantly surprised that I had completed that by the time I had the interview. They seemed to think it was harder than it actually was.... So right off the bat I impressed them!

I've taken way too long to get to this point, but in the end, they offered me a job! Right then and there at the end of the interview. No second interview necessary! Normally, they send a few interns/teachers to the principals to decide, but they knew from my glowing letters of recommendation (thank you Shelley and Lynnette!), my resume, and my apparently great interviewing skills that they wanted me! How nice and flattering! So they gave me the weekend to think it over and after going to the temple, praying, and doing a pros/cons list (those who know me know I HAVE to make these. I made one of these when deciding if I wanted to marry Jed), we decided that this was the right job for me!

Pluses of the job: I get half salary and FULL benefits (which also cover Jed and any children that may come along the way), a co-teacher, the opportunity to stay with the district basically until I retire (as long as I am as good a teacher as they think I'll be), great training, great people to work with, and a district which I could work in if I lived in Utah Valley OR Salt Lake Valley. It's just amazing.

So, I thank you all for your prayers of help, and now that I have a job you can pray that I actually do well! But really, I should take this opportunity to point out that while I prayed and prayed for what I wanted, I was reminded throughout this last month that it is the Lord's will that I should follow. I didn't get the first job I interviewed for. It was a great job, but it wasn't in the Lord's plan for me. It's hard, but I can testify that having faith that everything will work out is the way to live! I know, I only had to worry for 3 1/2 weeks. But tougher times will come and hopefully I can remember what I've learned, that the Lord has a plan and I need to follow it! Thank goodness for prayer, scriptures, priesthood blessings, patriarchal blessings, and the temple to help you along the way.

Anyways, if you actually read to the bottom of this page, what a good friend you are! You care enough about me to read all of my ramblings, and I don't doubt that can be a tedious thing. Thanks for reading! I'll keep you updated on what else happens with my job, school, and anything that happens with Jed. In case you wonder, Jed is making it through school and work. He can't wait for the summer, and he's a great husband who supports me as I approach the real world of real people jobs!

Happy Monday!