Making connections.

It's funny that a lot happened this week, and I don't know where to start. The main thing is that the highlights were very helpful in terms of soothing some of my anxieties. I really am a bit nervous about applying for jobs. It's not easy around here. It really isn't. It really makes me nervous to think I might have to move way out just to find one. I mean, I want a suburban job, but I don't want a rural-way-out-there-next-to-the-cows job.

All of the student teachers had a meeting with Mr. S, the principal, yesterday. Gosh, was it the best thing ever. I never had a real close conversation with him before, but this was fantastic. He's such a nice man who really cares for the school and who works there (which I think is an ideal principal for a school... and makes him even greater because he has announced he has cancer (note-- he caught it in time, and he has a very high success rate, thank God). He said he understood all of what we're going through right now with all of our classwork and that we're not being paid to work at the school, etc. The best part of the conversation was that he really wants to help us out with our resumes and cover letters. He offered that he will read our letters and show us examples. AND he said he would love to write each of us letters of recommendations. That is the BEST thing to have in an interview portfolio: a recommendation from the top administrator in the school. Yeah, I will be taking him up on his offer.

I also scheduled a meeting with him on Monday after school to discuss my thesis/inquiry project since I want to know what can work in this school's culture. My question that I will be exploring is:

How can I integrate community service that promotes awareness of a community’s needs into the curriculum to develop a sense of civic responsibility among my second grade students?

If nothing else, this will be my big "selling point" when applying for jobs. It just really helps that I'm gungho passionate about this, so it will be thorough, intentional, and genuine. I just need to present it to him to get his opinions since I value them and he knows what would work best. I'm hoping to be able to do a field trip to one of the service organizations around here (one with which I already have a connection from C&C!). I now need to do a write-up so I know what to say and don't flub it up...

I found out that J's CT was an English major. That made me really happy, especially since I haven't talked English-major-talk in a long time AND that she was 19th century British Lit. :) It truly is the little things.

I'm so glad it's the weekend. I basked in the glory of sleeping in. Oh, restful sleep, how I have missed you.

- Miss Chelsea :)