Anxiety and Excitment

Teaching is a unique entity which is quite misunderstood, within the job market. I recently went back to California for a job fair in Santa Clara. Every time I told my friends or family that I was going to this job fair and what the process would look like, they couldn't believe that teaching was still run in such an archaic manner. In many careers you interview for the exact job you want with the person responsible for hiring. Whereas, in teaching you may interview with several people, none of whom will be actually working with you. This can cause a lot of anxieties and discomfort for the interviewee.

While at the job fair I talked with several different candidates. Some who had many years of experience and some who were brand new to teaching. All of them felt the same level of anxiety and frustration at the process I did. It may seem that changing teaching jobs is “not a big deal,” but I find it leaving your school is more traumatic than leaving just about any other job. Teachers grow to love not just the students but the faculty they work with. Although, the essential job description of a teacher does not vary from school to school, the working environment and outside expectations of that teacher varies within each administration.

I am happy and proud to say that although I interviewed with many school districts, both public and charter schools, there was one school district willing to bypass all the regulations, to offer me a position on the spot. Thankfully I will move back to California with a teaching position guaranteed. Having a guaranteed teaching position eases a lot of the stress, but does not reduce the anxiety over what the work will look like.