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A little more than two years ago I found myself trying to decide between New York City Teaching Fellows and a paralegal position at a law firm specializing in anti-trust law. They both seemed like good, albeit far different, opportunities. My ever-protective mom, a former teacher who got her start in East L.A., advised against Teaching Fellows. I myself weighed the benefits of excitement and “making a difference” against the likelihood that I would be embarking on the most difficult experience of my life. Ultimately, picturing myself numbed by boredom one month into work at my air-conditioned Manhattan office, I opted for Teaching Fellows.

Surely it would be an incredible challenge. Despite volunteer experience in high school and college as a mentor and tutor for “at-risk” youth, nothing had really prepared me to teach some of New York City’s poorest children. Still, I looked forward to the chance to gain “valuable life experience” as I saw it.  In two years, I would look back at my time as a teacher with pride at what I had accomplished and the good I had done for the kids. Then, I would move on to whatever career I’d finally chosen.

Flash forward to October 2007. Things were not going well. At least three fights had already broken out in my classroom. Day to day I struggled to get through my lessons and couldn’t find the secret to commanding basic respect from my students. I doubted if I would get through the month, much less the year.  One day at lunch I wondered if I could bring myself to return to the classroom that afternoon.

Somehow, I did go back that afternoon. (more…)

It has now been six weeks since I found out I was being excessed and two weeks since I found a new job. Throughout the process of my job search I relied entirely on the Open Market Hiring System run through the NYC Schools web site. The fact I was hired relatively quickly and easily implies the system is a success, but that doesn’t mean we can’t examine it a bit deeper. First I’ll give some background on the Open Market system, then some number from my search, and finally my unofficial report card for the Open Market.

The Open Market Hiring System can be found by clicking through the careers section of the NYC schools web site. It’s designed to allow any NYC schools employee from teachers to guidance counselors to search for open positions within the system. Using your employee ID it doesn’t take more than few minutes to create an account. From there you can create an application with your basic information, a cover letter and resume, and begin your search for open positions.

The day I found out I was excessed I went straight to the web site, created an account, and within an hour or so I’d already applied to more than 20 schools.

A look at my job search by the numbers:

Total time spent on Open Market web site: Approx. 3 hours
Total number of positions applied for: 49
Total number of interviews offered: 3 (more…)

So, my job search has come to a short, but fruitful end. This week I’ll be signing the documents and I will officially stop worrying about where to report come September 8th (that is the day they finally decided on, right?). Although my search only consisted of three interviews, it was enough to hear a few good questions and plenty of bad.

Obviously in the interest of time, administrators have to stick to a certain script, but I would have appreciated a curve ball or two thrown in there. In my opinion too many questions sought to quiz me on the proper logistics of a reader’s workshop or Everyday Math.

The favorite questions I heard were mainly in the course of the interview that got me my new job. These were questions that were open-ended and sparked more of a conversation as opposed to questions that simply sought a “correct answer.”  The latter rarely reveal details that say much about a teacher’s actual abilities and value to a school.  Without further ado, ten questions, in no particular order, that I wish I had a chance to answer:

1. What is your educational philosophy? Sure, it’s simple, but more meaningful than, “Why did you decide to be a teacher?” (more…)

Things are looking up and I should have a job locked up by next week! Now the question is: Is it the right job for me?

I’ve spoken to enough teachers to realize that change is a part of any young teacher’s career. Switching classrooms, switching grades or switching schools seems to come with the territory. Still, after two years I’ve gotten pretty comfortable teaching in a 4th grade general ed classroom. I’d hoped that whatever changes my new school will bring come September, my teaching position would remain a constant.

When hunting for a job, is this attitude too stubborn? Should I take whatever I can get? If I hadn’t been excessed, I’d likely still be facing some sort of change in teaching position next year anyway. (more…)

As I sat outside the principal’s office awaiting my interview this afternoon, I was struck by a feeling of absurdity. A little less than two years ago, I was in this exact same position. I had just finished my NYC Teaching Fellows pre-service training and was looking for a teaching job. I felt confident that I would get a job though. And I felt reasonably confident that I was a great candidate for any school. Of course the reality was, that I had no idea what I was doing.

Don’t get me wrong, pre-service training for Fellows is rigorous and comprehensive. In six short, stressful weeks, our training covered every aspect of teaching that a school administrator could question you about. From classroom management to guided reading, I “knew” what it meant to be a teacher. The only thing I didn’t actually know, apart from some summer school teaching experience, was what it was actually like to be a teacher. And ironically in spite of this, I felt no anxiety about being hired.

Now, two years later, I have survived my trial by fire.* When I talk about my literacy block, I have 360+ literacy blocks to draw from in my mind. When I talk about reaching struggling students, I have a dozen or more students that come to mind. And yet, all this experience doesn’t make me feel any more secure in my interviews. (more…)

It’s often said that first dates are like interviews, and two years since finding my first teaching job, I can say the comparison goes both ways. The nervousness. The desire to be desired. Fighting the impulse to badmouth your ex.

My first date interview didn’t go so well last week. I’d done as much research as possible going into the experience, checking up on the school’s quality review, report card and review on Insideschools.org. I even began to wonder if there can be such thing as too much information going into a job interview, as I tried to keep an open mind.

After the interview I had mixed feelings. Was I too honest? Did I monopolize the conversation? Did I act interested enough? Did I seem desperate? Did I even want the job?

Days went by, and I waited for the phone to ring. One missed call later, I called back to find the job was given to another candidate. In spite of my ambivalence, rejection never feels good.

So, for now I stay “single,” but without even a decent meal to show for it. Oh well, there’s plenty of other fish in the sea. In fact I’ve got another interview next Monday. I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Ruben Brosbe is finishing his second year teaching in the Bronx. He will be writing about his experiences looking for a new position. He also blogs at Is Our Children Learning?

For those unfamiliar with the bureaucratic behemoth that is the New York City Department of Education, the term “excessed” is somewhat strange.  Most spell check software (including this one) doesn’t even recognize it as a word.  But, indeed it is. I know because I looked it up two weeks ago, just for kicks.

There it is, at the bottom.  Number seven.  It’s a verb (used with object) that means:

And no, I didn’t look it up just for fun. I guess semi-morbid curiosity would be more accurate.

It was just over two weeks ago when I was in the classroom and an announcement was made calling three teachers and myself to the principal’s office for a brief meeting after school. (more…)