26 Days to Graduation!

Yes, less than a month to go in the MSSE program, and still a lot to do. Most especially finishing my Master's Project (need to send an email to nag the people who are supposed to be evaluating and giving me feedback...)

Anyway, if anyone's feeling generous and wants to help me set up life in Santa Fe, you can check out my Wishlist at Target.com. :-)

Finally Legal!

No, not me -- my car. Finally got it registered. Kind of seems silly to get New York plates two months before I leave the state, but it was that or risk getting busted by another state's highway patrol on the cross-country journey. (If New York cops didn't spot it in eight months -- even when one was right behind me -- I don't think they were ever going to.)

So, I have now rechristened "Velma" (from Utah plate containing VEL) as "Death Wish" (NY plate containing DNR -- get it?)

Death Wish doesn't actually have a death wish, though. She's really feeling much better, now that she's had an oil change and her tires rotated. They even put her through the wash at no additional charge.

Meanwhile, things are moving along. Less than a month before I graduate. Really only about a month and a half of teaching left -- after June 13th, there are no high school classes, just Regents Exams. Some projects and papers to worry about, but I'm getting there.

In some ways, I'm ready to just be done and headed home, but like I keep saying, it'd be even nicer if I could take some of the people here with me.

Just Keeps Getting Better...

New Mexico, baby!!!

That's right -- NMSD called yesterday and offered me a job. Probably high school math, but maybe middle school (the director of instruction said she was pretty sure it'd be high school, but either way's okay by me).

So ... Why This Is Looking So Good:

• Santa Fe climate -- July: 86/54 January: 43/15 Average Days of Sunshine: 300 All-Time Highest Temp: 99 degrees
• NMSD is home to CAEBER: Center for ASL/Bilingual Education and Research -- I get paid a stipend to learn things that'll make me a better teacher for deaf kids
• NMSD has oodles of technology (SMARTboards, graphing calculators...)
• New Mexico state math standards are highly correlated to the NCTM Standards (I've already started looking them over)
• I'll get paid a few (or several) thousand dollars more than I would here or in Utah
• If I move up to Level III-A, my minimum salary moves up to $50,000 (zowie!) and I'm already part-way there by getting a Master's degree
  
• Rent (and general cost of living) is less than Rochester and only slightly higher than Utah
• Drive time from Santa Fe to Orem: 12 hours (that's by-the-book, mind you, assuming an average of 49 mph) -- this means Thanksgiving at home for the first time in three years!
• Having a school year more like Utah's -- no more going til the end of June

The downside? Just leaving behind lots of awesome people here in the Roch (and in the East in general) ... but that's what email, telephones, IM, and this blog are all made for, people!

Now I just have to worry about things like picking an apartment... :-P

If All Else Fails ...

... there's a math opening at Canyon View.

Hmm...

Actually, there are a lot of math openings in Alpine that just came up in the last day or two. It always annoys me how many say things like, "Coaching ability preferred." What is it about math teaching and coaching that people think ought to go together? At least some of them say, "Coaching or willingness to supervise extracurricular activities." I understand them wanting someone willing to pitch in on extra things like clubs or whatever.

Well, the CVJH posting is open until the 25th of this month. Hopefully I'll know where I stand with NM and JMA before then, so I can hold that as an option.

(There's not a doubt in my mind that Amelia would hire me back in a second. But unless I get them to start up an ASL club or something, it's two years of Deaf Ed training for nothing...)

What I Know ... So Far

• Yesterday, NM called me to get GB's contact info. They were calling him this morning, just as I came into the office. He told them if he were in their position, he'd hire me in a flash ... and he told me that his gut feeling was that it was looking good.
• NM called JAM (one of my fabulous personal references) who told them, in essence, they'd be crazy not to hire me.
• NM called Mike (another of my fabulous personal references) who reportedly gave me a glowing recommendation.

• Fremont sent me the written portion of their interview, and my first reaction was to roll my eyes.

The more I compare my gut reactions for these two schools, the better I feel about NM.

Meanwhile, I think JMA had state exams last week, so I get the feeling they're not fully into "recruitment mode" just yet. I'll have to pester the administrator again just to make sure they actually received my written interview.

Return of the Ace Interviewee

I had my New Mexico interview this morning, and WOW, did that feel better! Somehow, the questions just felt more relevant and answerable. In short, it didn't feel like some kind of oral exam.

Also, something I realized that bothered me about the Fremont interview -- considering I had to send a big packet to them with an application, resume, letters of recommendation, and transcripts, I didn't get the feeling from the interviewers that they came into the meeting knowing anything about me.

New Mexico, on the other hand, had copies of my application and resume in their hands. So there were expected forms of questions, "We noticed such-and-such on your application..." then ask a question to follow-up or go deeper about something.

It felt good. It felt like all the other job interviews I've ever been on (besides Fremont) ... which have always resulted in job offers.

Here's hoping my SCPI earlier this morning went as well. (Also felt good, but so hard for me to tell...)