Week 12 Reflection

Week 12 Reflection

          Talk about relevance, I filled out my resignation papers today at my school and my husband and I will be making the move back to Michigan this summer.  My number one goal is to find a middle school science teaching position.  This chapter has reminded me of tips I learned in college and taught me a few new ones to help me on my journey. 

          It has been six years since I have gone through the interview process and I am already quite nervous.  Rejection is difficult for all but lessons nine and ten provide some reassurance, if you do not get the first few jobs you apply or interview for do not become discouraged.  Becoming discouraged will not accomplish anything, staying positive even in times of doubt is important when job searching.  Number eight is also a huge lesson in any occupation that is of utmost importance.  Developing a strong set of communication skills such as clearly stating your ideas or concerns and also being a good listener are key talents.  Communication is key, as they say.  Currently, I am communicating with and listening to students, parents, teachers, and administrators daily to ??????????????? I hope to communicate my strengths and qualifications as I interview and answer any questions clearly and confidently.    

          Lesson fifteen is one lesson that will require research on my part.  This lesson states when preparing for a job interview, find out as much as you can about your potential employers.  This will not only show my interest in the school and district but will hopefully leave them with a great impression.  I will be better prepared for questions which with any luck will make me a more appealing candidate.  I also felt lesson sixteen would fit right along with lesson fifteen; lesson sixteen encourages you to keep up with the literature in your areas of interest.  The school I currently work at constantly assigns articles and chapters from books to stay up to date on the best practices and current initiatives.  I will need to work on this lesson over the summer because without being assigned the reading, I can easily see myself choosing People magazine over a scholarly journal.  Keeping up on current issues, initiatives, and technology are three important areas I would enjoy reading about.  Even this chapter, which normally a teacher would not be reading taught me new relevant lessons and reminded me of old lessons learned.  These lessons will hopefully stay with me as I search for my new niche.