A few weeks ago, I happened upon a job posting on a nearby school district for a German teaching position. It's not that I am miserable at my current school, but there are some things I don't like (that will happen anywhere, I know), which was enough to apply for the job out of curiosity.
After a string of bad days at school a while back, I had daydreamed about finding another job and prayed a couple of times for options. That's pretty common for teachers, and probably for anyone who's had a bad day at work: to daydream about other schools or other professions--for example, where asking a student to write 8 sentences doesn't return with a mountain of complaints and whining or where more than two (of the 21 students) turn in their projects ON the due date. (I mean, I'm not being overly ambitious right?)
So I applied. And I prayed that if this were meant to be, if I were meant to switch schools, that all of the doors be opened. And if it weren't, for all the doors to be closed--no interviews or job offers or anything.
A couple of weeks after applying, I got a phone call for an interview. I wasn't able to interview at the time they requested--a potential hurdle--but they easily offered a different time that I was able to make. I anxiously awaited the interview and mentally rehearsed potential responses and prayed again that if this were meant to be, that all the doors be opened.
The Wednesday came, and I left school a little early (with permission, during my planning period) and headed for the interview. I was interviewed by four people (the principal, an assistant principal, the current German teacher with whom I would be working, and the head of the foreign language department). They took turns asking me questions and the German teacher interviewed me in German for a few minutes. After I left, I didn't feel like it went particularly well or particularly badly--I just felt neutral about it. I was still interested in the job, of course, but I didn't have any inkling of how the interview went from their perspective. They said they'd be deciding within the next couple of weeks, so I decided just to wait it out and continue to pray for doors to be opened if it was meant to be.
The next afternoon, I got a phone call from the principal offering me the job. This was a shocker, since she had told me they'd be deciding in a couple of weeks. I guess they had two more interviews in the 24 hours after my interview, but decided I was the one they wanted to offer the position to. I didn't want to be hasty, even though all the doors had clearly been opened as easily as possible, so I took the weekend to think about it and pray about it. I made a pro and con list, and although there wasn't an overwhelming pro or con to either side, I felt more pulled to this new school. I felt like this was where God was leading me, and that it was literally an answer to many prayers this year. So I accepted the job :)
Again, it's not that I am miserable where I'm at right now, but there are things that I am hoping will be better at my new school. This year has not been a miserable year--in fact, in terms of my teaching, I feel like I've improved since last year and found a rhythm that works--but it has been challenging in various other ways. I'm excited and nervous for this new transition (as with it comes new people, new rules, new curriculum, and a new living situation [TBD]), but more excited nervous than scared nervous.
Praise God for His timing and His plan that is bigger and better than the one I have for myself!
