Are The Times A-Changin'?

Saturday was an absolute whirlwind of activity, which wasn't exactly as it was planned. But oh well. We had a veterinian visit, grocery shopping, the elementary school's Spring Carnival, yard work, some moral support to provide for a friend, cooking, cleaning, and of course, the Final Four to watch. On top of this, I ended up making a late decision to attend the school system job fair in my home county, and spent an hour talking to representatives from three high schools.

Over the last five years, I've done this a couple of times, and I've also resisted doing it a couple of times. As previously noted, I am one of those guys who likes to stay put when I get comfortable, and (partially due to this, I'm sure) also a person who remains loyal beyond what many people would consider their obligations. But, these bigger schools didn't take a chance on me when I was coming in through the alternate licensure route, while my current school did. And, things have worked out very well, for the most part. The last time I attended the local job fair I can truly say my heart was not in it, and this probably showed. No one even called for a follow-up interview.

But Saturday felt different. I have five years of experience in the bag, and I think my interviewers took notice of this, and seemed much more interested in me. Plus, they all knew people that I know in my current school community, so there was the advantage 0f name-dropping without intentionally meaning to. Who knows what will happen, but I felt positive about the whole experience, and...

I didn't feel guilty about it, like I did a couple of years ago. This, in spite of the fact that if were to be offered a better position, and I left my school now, I would be piling on to the giant load of crap that my bosses already have to deal with this spring and summer: we have five teachers retiring, they want to hire an additional English teacher, and I'm convinced Principal Goldberg will fire another one if at all possible (and if he is willing to take a little heat). My leaving would only add to his woes, and I would hate that because I really like him, and like working for him.

Ultimately, though, working closer to home at a better school with better-achieving students (and with a little salary upgrade) would be too much to turn down - unless they tried to make being a coach part of the deal. In any case, I can be happy where I am, so I'm trying to stay as level-headed about all of this as possible. But I'm a little excited about the possibilities between now and next fall.