Life Update: New Job? Part 2

Okay, so not a disaster, per se, because what happened next was a good thing to normal people...

But just when I was content with my job, I started to get phone calls from a bunch of other schools and also Bank of Hawaii asking for interviews. I turned them down, of course. My parents found out and they were not happy.

When a local high school called me to interview for an educational assistant permanent position, they made me go. But I figured I couldn't possibly get hired because I had no experience whatsoever dealing with high school students. The highest grade I ever taught was third grade. So I was safe. I went to that interview unprepared (I had a CD-R with my resume saved in it--who does that, right?). Before the interview the principal showed me a stack of interview forms and said I was the last person they were seeing. I smiled at him thinking you're wasting your time then because the person you want is in that pile.

During the interview, as he and his assistant asked me questions I emphasized my lack of experience. I told them I was bad at math and any subject that has math in it so I can't tutor anyone in those subjects. I said I believe that high school students are the same as kindergarten children. I also said a few more inane things. This is not an unusual occurrence when I am in an interview as I tend to blank out and sound very stupid when I am nervous. But I wasn't worried about sounding stupid then. As a matter of fact, I was very calm. Afterwards, I came out of the principal's office relieved and very sure I had failed it.

Twenty minutes later an unknown number called my cell phone. I didn't answer it because I never answer unknown number. Lo and behold, the high school principal left a message that said he had good news. I got the job! I was surprised. My first thought was how could I possibly have gotten the job. My second was I'm not taking it.

To make a long story short, my parents made me see the light. A permanent job was a good thing and it's not like I'll be teaching high school kids. I'm just going to be an assistant. What idiot would turn down a permanent job in favor of a part time job... blah, blah, blah.

I called back the principal about three hours after he left his message and accepted his offer. Yes, sadly it only takes my parents a few hours to convince me to see things their way (I'll explain why later). I then had to worry about breaking the news to the principal at my part time job. I only worked there for a week; how can I leave after a week? She was very congratulatory though when I told her the news and so were the rest of the staff. Now, I am savoring my last days there until they find my replacement.

Then, I'm off to the dreaded high school. I don't actually believe that high school kids are like kindergarten kids, so we'll see how I deal...