*author note: sorry this is so long...I should have been updating about this job search process more regularly, but here it all is in one long post*
A few months ago Stephanie and I, along with several other friends, went to the North Carolina Middle School Conference in Greensboro. The night before the conference, we decided to skim through the schedule and sessions that were going to be offered the next few days. The front page highlighted the
Schools to Watch in North Carolina. We were excited and proud to see that Carrington had been named a School to Watch. Then, as we continued to flip through we saw that the principal at Carrington and several teachers were leading a session at the conference. We joked, "What if we run into them and they offer us a job?" We talked about all the "what ifs" that question contained and blew it off thinking, "With all these people here, we won't see them."
Famous last words...We walk in Monday morning at 8am and who is standing at the sign-in table? The principal at Carrington (who was the assistant principal when we were there) and one of our middle school band teachers. We checked in and decided to go say hey. After they got over the shock of having
their former students at a conference with them as colleagues, they were very excited to see us and wanted to know all about what we had been up to since middle school. They got even more excited when they learned that we were in grad school and didn't have jobs yet...that meant they might could still get us at Carrington. Right there, at the check in table, at 8am, we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and promised to keep in touch as the school year continued.
We walked away all giggly like two middle school girls who just talked to a boy for the first time. We talked about the possibility of working at Carrington for the rest of the day. I could not get it off my mind. We saw the Carrington group several more times that day. Every time we saw them, the teachers who were there from Carrington would tell us how much the principal had been talking about us and how excited she was to hopefully have us at Carrington next year. It was so encouraging to hear them say so many nice things and be so excited about seeing us. It just added to my dilemma.
You see, I had said I would never teach in Durham. You would think I would have learned my lesson about saying never. "I would never date Stephen Snyder." "I would never go to school in the mountains; it's too cold." etc. etc. For some reason, I think I have the authority to make those decisions; when in reality, God has different plans for me and better plans at that! So, looking back, I was just creating that dilemma for myself.
We emailed our resumes when we got home and stayed in touch. We even went and visited the school for a day and got to sit in on several math and language arts classrooms. It was strange walking in Carrington from the point of view as a teacher. Someone once told me that the sense of smell is the strongest sense when it comes to recalling memories. Carrington has a very distinct smell and took us both back immediately to our days as middle school students. We had a lot of fun, got to observe some awesome teachers, and were so encouraged by how warmly we were welcomed. But, I'll be honest...I didn't leave Carrington that day with the feeling of, "This is where I'm supposed to be."
We didn't get to spend much time with the principal because she had other things going on that day. I decided when I left that it was all in God's hands. Whatever His plan was, He would reveal it to me in His timing and I was okay with that and decided to trust Him with it (which is very unlike me, but with His strength and guidance, anything is possible).
Several months passed without me hearing anything. I didn't start freaking out (surprise again...and God gets all the glory for my lack of freaking out through this whole process), but I did begin to think that I needed to look other places. So, I began applying and contacting other principals in Durham as well as in Wilkes and Guilford county. I had an interview with a principal in Wilkes county and was offered a job there. But, as you'll remember from this
post I didn't have a peace about it and turned it down. The principal at Carrington had informed me that she was waiting for the budge to come through...you know how that goes and asked me to be patient.
Another month or so passed...lots of rumors about what was going to happen next school year...and a new principal at another school in Durham was announced. A great principal who I would love to work for...so I emailed him. I had an interview. The day after my interview there, I had an email from the principal at Carrington wanting to schedule an interview. The next day the other middle school called and offered me a job. I turned it down because they needed an answer immediately and I still wanted to at least talk to Carrington. THEN, not two minutest after turning it down, the principal called me back and wanted me to reconsider and call him back in the morning with an answer. Talk about a dilemma...
I started praying and spent several hours on the phone that night trying to figure out what in the world to do. I also found out that afternoon that if I took this job, I would be reporting to school the following Monday and school would start a week later. AKA I would be in my second or third week of teaching right now. I still had one more week of class here at Appalachian and one presentation for my master's degree...I was 2 credit hours short...I just couldn't leave with that little bit left. And, I didn't have a peace about it for several other reasons. I pretty much had my decision made, but wanted to talk to a few other people.
The principal at Carrington called me that night from her parents' house to talk to me and I talked to one of my middle school teachers to get her advice. By the end of the night...or even earlier in the afternoon...I had made my decision. If offered to me, I was going to Carrington.
At the end of the next week, I had my interview at Carrington and as I stood to leave, the principal shook my hand and said, "Welcome to Carrington." So, as soon as I sign on all the dotted lines, I will be a 7th grade math teacher at Carrington. I am scared and SO excited all at the same time. Every time I walk in Carrington this year, I'm sure it will feel like a walk down memory lane...only I'll be making new memories.
A few months ago, if you had asked me where I wanted to teach or where I was going to try to get a job, I would not have said Durham. But, God had different plans for me and I know this is where He has me for next year. I don't know what all He has planned for this coming year, but I trust Him and am excited to grow in my walk with Him as I embark on this next journey in my life.
Her introduction speech in every class:
...we will still be...
