(note: I wrote this a couple of months ago, but didn't think I could post it until I was actually offered a job and some details were made public about position availability. So it's a bit dated, but here it is.)
I work hard to not treat this blog solely like a livejournal, where I tell you about my day and my thoughts and put little smiley faces and giggles everywhere. : / However, I have found that a lot of my posts help me clear up my own thoughts on whatever I am talking about. So, that's what I will attempt to do here: get my thoughts in order. Hope you enjoy the process. :)
I am a sucker for being needed. Even more so I am a sucker for being wanted. Put the two together and you can get me to do just about anything. This comes through primarily in my tutoring, I have found. Today I turned down my first client ever. Someone called needing help and I said I was too busy. The fact that I have not done this yet is a bit crazy, because in the past 9 months I have been getting called to tutor a lot. I just can't say no because these kids need me, want me, and pay me. Oh, I should add: money is another thing I am a big sucker for.
So let me tell you about my life right now. I teach math at Lane Community College. Throughout the whole year, I don't teach full time. I probably average about 0.7 (where 1.0 is full time). There are terms where I am employed 0.9 and terms where I am 0.55, but I am almost never less than half-time. I really enjoy teaching at Lane, in fact I enjoy it more most every term. I have wonderful, flexible hours, I teach math to people that want to learn and know it's useful, I don't have to deal with minors and the headaches that come with that (calling home, taking attendance, confiscating cell phones, pretending I know who rappers are), and I don't have to grade too much.
This term, for example, I teach two classes, which in this case is just under half-time. Those two classes happen back-to-back on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So I teach Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 - 9:00. MWFSat and Sun I don't have an obligation to do any work, although there is always some grading and test writing to get done.
My pharmacist wife usually works 4 days a week, for roughly 36 hours. Those days can be spread out or bunched up. Some weeks we'll have three days off together, some weeks we won't have a whole day together at all. Our schedules are very complimentary. We only need childcare for not-as-little Wyatt once every other week or so, unless my tutoring or substitute teaching get in the way.
My life is very good.
Yesterday I subbed at South Eugene High School. There were two major developments from that day of subbing: 1) I literally fell over in my chair while in the front of the room. No one was watching, I leaned over to grab something on the floor and the chair came out from under me. I heard about it from every following class, along the lines of "so your the guy that fell over, right?"
2) The principal and I ended up walking in the same direction for quite a while (South has famously long halls, rumored to be a quarter-mile long or something). He told me there is a chance there will be a temporary math posting next year, meaning I could teach math for part of the year. I taught math at South last year, also on a temporary contract, which was wonderful, but also didn't result in any long-term position.
I loved teaching at South. The students are respectful and work hard, for the most part. Parents are involved. The curriculum is challenging. It's a very successful place. It's typically the best public school in the state and one of the best in the country. I was proud to have taught there. Part of the reason I still sub there is to keep a foot in the door.
So, here's the thing: South wants me and South needs me. They have a lot of math teachers retiring in the very near future. They offer a course called BC Calculus that covers the entire college calculus series in about 7 months. The teacher of that course has been doing it for over a decade and wants to start handing the reigns to the next guy. As of now, I am the choice for the "next guy."
My church meets at South Eugene HS as well. I'd love to be in a position where I can help both the school and the church in both directions with various things. If a door is locked on Sunday, I'd have a key! If the alarms weren't turned off, I'd know how to. If the school needs some help with Project X, I could go to church and say "hey let's work on Project X!" There are already people at church and at South that do all of these things, (the church and the school have a great relationship thus far) but one more couldn't hurt. Plus, I'd get to feel important, like I'm needed.
Teaching at South strokes my ego. I am teaching math at the best school in the state. I go to a church that attends my school so I can look important and helpful in times of crisis. I am wanted by the staff and potentially needed by the students (although South would have no trouble getting their pick of math teachers when they post an opening).
Teaching at Lane makes sense. The time commitment is smaller. The flexibility in the hours is fantastic. The schedule fits with my wife's. I get to be home more. They pay at Lane is comparable to the pay at South, while requiring less of my time present at the school. I can tutor more easily if I want to do that, but tutoring is wearing on me.
Teaching at both isn't very feasible long term. I did it last year, but that was pre-baby. And it was also pretty awful for a while. If I was the only person affected by this decision, I would teach full time at South and teach a class every-other term at Lane. That way I can retire from South eventually and still have a good job at Lane with seniority to occupy some time. But, I have a wife that out-earns me, and the more I work the less she'll work. Or the more childcare we'd have to pay for.
Ultimately, I have to wait to see if a job is even available. I'd have to figure out what it pays and if it would lead to a permanent job in the future (not extremely likely as the school district continues to shrink and lose funding). But, the more I think (and write) about it, the more it becomes clear to me that staying at Lane makes the most sense for my family. I know at this point in time my wife agrees with me. And I know at this point in time Wyatt pretty much only thinks about eating whatever he can find on the floor.
Thanks for listening! Any thoughts or comments are certainly welcome, though I don't know why you'd still be reading this far...
I work hard to not treat this blog solely like a livejournal, where I tell you about my day and my thoughts and put little smiley faces and giggles everywhere. : / However, I have found that a lot of my posts help me clear up my own thoughts on whatever I am talking about. So, that's what I will attempt to do here: get my thoughts in order. Hope you enjoy the process. :)
I am a sucker for being needed. Even more so I am a sucker for being wanted. Put the two together and you can get me to do just about anything. This comes through primarily in my tutoring, I have found. Today I turned down my first client ever. Someone called needing help and I said I was too busy. The fact that I have not done this yet is a bit crazy, because in the past 9 months I have been getting called to tutor a lot. I just can't say no because these kids need me, want me, and pay me. Oh, I should add: money is another thing I am a big sucker for.
.jpg) |
| This is the plan for LCC's new downtown campus. I'd love to teach there. |
So let me tell you about my life right now. I teach math at Lane Community College. Throughout the whole year, I don't teach full time. I probably average about 0.7 (where 1.0 is full time). There are terms where I am employed 0.9 and terms where I am 0.55, but I am almost never less than half-time. I really enjoy teaching at Lane, in fact I enjoy it more most every term. I have wonderful, flexible hours, I teach math to people that want to learn and know it's useful, I don't have to deal with minors and the headaches that come with that (calling home, taking attendance, confiscating cell phones, pretending I know who rappers are), and I don't have to grade too much.
This term, for example, I teach two classes, which in this case is just under half-time. Those two classes happen back-to-back on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So I teach Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 - 9:00. MWFSat and Sun I don't have an obligation to do any work, although there is always some grading and test writing to get done.
My pharmacist wife usually works 4 days a week, for roughly 36 hours. Those days can be spread out or bunched up. Some weeks we'll have three days off together, some weeks we won't have a whole day together at all. Our schedules are very complimentary. We only need childcare for not-as-little Wyatt once every other week or so, unless my tutoring or substitute teaching get in the way.
My life is very good.
 |
| It's like every picture of this town has a permanently gray sky! (South Eugene High School) |
Yesterday I subbed at South Eugene High School. There were two major developments from that day of subbing: 1) I literally fell over in my chair while in the front of the room. No one was watching, I leaned over to grab something on the floor and the chair came out from under me. I heard about it from every following class, along the lines of "so your the guy that fell over, right?"
2) The principal and I ended up walking in the same direction for quite a while (South has famously long halls, rumored to be a quarter-mile long or something). He told me there is a chance there will be a temporary math posting next year, meaning I could teach math for part of the year. I taught math at South last year, also on a temporary contract, which was wonderful, but also didn't result in any long-term position.
I loved teaching at South. The students are respectful and work hard, for the most part. Parents are involved. The curriculum is challenging. It's a very successful place. It's typically the best public school in the state and one of the best in the country. I was proud to have taught there. Part of the reason I still sub there is to keep a foot in the door.
So, here's the thing: South wants me and South needs me. They have a lot of math teachers retiring in the very near future. They offer a course called BC Calculus that covers the entire college calculus series in about 7 months. The teacher of that course has been doing it for over a decade and wants to start handing the reigns to the next guy. As of now, I am the choice for the "next guy."
My church meets at South Eugene HS as well. I'd love to be in a position where I can help both the school and the church in both directions with various things. If a door is locked on Sunday, I'd have a key! If the alarms weren't turned off, I'd know how to. If the school needs some help with Project X, I could go to church and say "hey let's work on Project X!" There are already people at church and at South that do all of these things, (the church and the school have a great relationship thus far) but one more couldn't hurt. Plus, I'd get to feel important, like I'm needed.
Teaching at South strokes my ego. I am teaching math at the best school in the state. I go to a church that attends my school so I can look important and helpful in times of crisis. I am wanted by the staff and potentially needed by the students (although South would have no trouble getting their pick of math teachers when they post an opening).
Teaching at Lane makes sense. The time commitment is smaller. The flexibility in the hours is fantastic. The schedule fits with my wife's. I get to be home more. They pay at Lane is comparable to the pay at South, while requiring less of my time present at the school. I can tutor more easily if I want to do that, but tutoring is wearing on me.
Teaching at both isn't very feasible long term. I did it last year, but that was pre-baby. And it was also pretty awful for a while. If I was the only person affected by this decision, I would teach full time at South and teach a class every-other term at Lane. That way I can retire from South eventually and still have a good job at Lane with seniority to occupy some time. But, I have a wife that out-earns me, and the more I work the less she'll work. Or the more childcare we'd have to pay for.
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| Yes I am re-using this picture because it's awesome. |
Thanks for listening! Any thoughts or comments are certainly welcome, though I don't know why you'd still be reading this far...
