Greetings from Seattle

[Alirrin]

Just a quick hello before I head to bed. I flew in today, got checked in to our temporary housing, got dinner, and went grocery shopping. Tomorrow is the big day, interview at 10:30.

I'll check in afterward to say how it went. For now, it's time for my beauty sleep!

[Jasyn]

Good luck!

[Lyrima]

YAY!! I'll be sending you luck and light allll day! You'll be fantastic.

[Alirrin]

Well, the interview went well. I think the math chair likes me, but it was hard to tell what the upper school head and school head thought. I am the third of five interviews for this job, but the chair seemed to indicate I was the strongest candidate on paper. It won't be a long wait though: they intend to make an offer by the end of next week.

Meanwhile, I spent the afternoon in downtown Redmond and LOVE it. Dorothy and Alex landed about an hour ago, so I'm just waiting for them to get up to the apartment from the airport. Tomorrow and Saturday are for home hunting.

More news as it hits the presses!

[Lyrima]

Keep us posted!

It's the job of the administration to keep an open mind and a cipher face.  I've had call backs from interviews and lessons.  Are they talking about that at all?

Has wife and daughter moved there yet? Is this the move time? Or are they visiting?

[Alirrin]

No callbacks, they are going to make an offer based on the one interview set.

The ladies have arrived, and they are here for good. I will be going back to Texas on Sunday night to finish getting the house ready to sell. I dread returning to the heat ... It is SO NICE up here.

[Corsair]

Yeah, the NW is really nice...just have to be able to embrace the gray months as well. It will be so cool if you get a good offer right off for this....toes crossed as previously noted.


Alex...such a good name. And I am totally not biased at all...no sir. No chance I have a kid with the same name. Nuh-uh.

[Lyrima]

No callbacks, they are going to make an offer based on the one interview set.

News?

[Alirrin]

Sadly I was not offers the position. They decided to use one hire to fill two holes (math and middle school science). Since my background included neither science nor middle school, they went with someone less qualified for the math in favor or someone with a broader background.

On the plus side, my current job has guaranteed me work through the end of July (I'm a telecommuting software developer, so can work from anywhere, really), and my boss hopes to extend that further. We are hoping that we can demonstrate to his boss that distance isn't a factor, and eventually just resume normal operation. If not, I have a promise of two weeks notice before being let go.

Meanwhile we have found an apartment in Redmond we like and will be moving in on July 2.

[Corsair]

Just in time for good fireworks, and a 4th BBQ!

Washington state allows for personal purchase of good fireworks BTW...one of the best states for that kind of fun. 

[Jezerai]

AND!! It was a lovely and delightful Pacific Northwest summer day in Grays Harbor!  74 and blue skies!  Heaven!

[Lyrima]

I'm glad you are figuring it out with your job.  Probably easier to stick with a known (job) as you enter unknown (living in Seattle)

First year teaching can be hell and hours of extra work.

YAY for the apartment!

[Alirrin]

Yeah, I've taught every math class that can be taught in high school before, but there's always new stuff related to being at a new school that takes extra time.

Another thing that makes me think it's just as well I didn't get the job is that the math chair, during our interview, mentioned that she doesn't believe in test anxiety or math anxiety, and does not allow alternative assessment methods (unless the student is identified as 504 or LD, of course). This didn't sit well with me, as I am a big believer in giving verbal or project based assessments for students I can tell know the material but don't test well. I also prefer observational assessment to be the majority of the grade, and try to keep homework to a minimum, where she expects a significant portion of the grade to be from homework.  I'm thinking now that despite the school overall being really good, it might not have been the best fit for me as a teacher.

So, I'll IT for a while longer and see how things go.

[Lyrima]

You and I have extraordinarily similar approaches to assessment and teaching 

You would have been MISERABLE there.

[Jezerai]

I wish my highschool math teachers had shared your philosophy!

[Lilica]

I wish my highschool math teachers had shared your philosophy!

Me too!  I hated math with a passion.  Made it as far as geometry before I gave up.  Blech.

Anyways, welcome to Washington State!

[PinkRose]

1. Congrats on the official move.
2. I'll have to swing by and meet up sometime.
3. Corsair, you sound like a man who has made the trip over the border before. My previous Father-In-Law made a yearly trip of it. And set his yard on fire once.
4. Vancouver, WA, (about 2 1/2 hours south of Seattle) has the biggest fireworks display west of the Mississippi, they say.

[Corsair]

I have indeed made the trip...and I shall do so again this year.

Never set the yard on fire though. Well, not since I was a kid anyhow, and that was very minor....not on the 4th either. Ahem.

We have a pretty large and growing NW presence again eh? We really ought to do something about that.

[Lyrima]

We have a pretty large and growing NW presence again eh? We really ought to do something about that.

<SIGH>

[Lyrima]

How's about 'we do something about that' NEXT YEAR IN VEGAS?

That's a good idea.

Weekend of June 16th.

Just sayin'