Job Fair

This evening, I went to a Job Fair at my former grad school. I got a ride there with the L.S. Head (still haven't quite figured out a nickname for him yet), the Learning Specialist, and Jamaican Queen. They were going there to recruit teachers. I was going to see what was out there.

It was a fun drive as I was made fun of for a good portion of it for leaving (maybe) next year. How can I leave such a fun environment at my school? L.S. Head made many a joke about trying to sabotage me or dumping me in the Gowanus on the way so I couldn't leave. I guess if they can't keep me, no one can have me right?

After parking and watching the pregnant Learning Specialist run across the street in front of traffic, we entered the packed grad school lobby. I helped them by carrying a bag of things they had brought for the Fair. Upon arriving, I gave them their stuff back. Much like a single guy hanging out with a platonic female friend and worrying that that might ruin his chances for action, I didn't want any school to be misled!

The Fair was way too crowded and cramped for me. I wanted to get the hell out of there after five minutes. Maybe I'll just stay at my school if this is the kind of shit I'll have to put up with to get a job. A lot of freshly scrubbed kids just about to get their masters mingled and networked.

I stopped in at the school that is housed and shares the same name as my grad school. It is a great school, a school I'd love to work at. The drawbacks are twofold. It is really far away and it is still a private school. So what's the point? Still, I dropped off my resume and was told that I would be called next week to possibly set up an interview.

I talked to a few public schools but it seemed like it was mostly charter schools there - no one was really there that I really wanted to talk to.

I saw a scary fifty-something teacher who used to teach at the pre-school I worked at in the late 90's upon first arriving in NY. She used to give me the creeps because it was pretty obvious she wanted a piece of the 24-year-old Listmaker. I chose to try to avoid her. Which I successfully did.

I kept looking over at my colleagues to see how things were going for them. I felt like an ex-boyfriend who runs into an ex-girlfriend a week after breaking up. Hell, it felt like a high school dance and I wanted to keep seeing what the ex was up to. I couldn't help but feel that all of the people they were talking to sucked and weren't worth wasting their time on.



I spoke to a person from the NY Board of Ed who reminded me of Marge Simpson's chainsmoking sisters. She was completely unhelpful and I felt like she gave me crap advice. I didn't trust her agenda. She was there to recruit for problem districts and was coy about giving me answers to my questions.



All in all, it was an interesting experience. I don't deny that I've got The Melancholy or that I am having a really difficult time sleeping these days. And so it goes. Looking forward to Spring Break.