Stefanie's blog
Major: English with Secondary Education Certification

Hello, Readers!
As promised, here is my long-awaited tale of the Job Search Adventure! Those of you who are reading this may be a few years from beginning the job search, others may already be experiencing the roller coaster that it is. Let me give you my best piece of advice: apply, apply, apply! And never be afraid to, as the old saying goes, “learn from your mistakes!”

I can call the job search process an “Adventure” now that I’m actually employed, but as many of you probably know, searching for employment, especially for the beginning educator, is more of a drama than an adventure—more Middlemarch than Middle Earth. I had always imagined the pursuit of a teaching career to proceed as follows: go to a good college, do well in my classes, learn much while student teaching, find a new job shortly after graduation. However, as May and June wore on without any calls to set up interviews and I talked to 2006 graduates who remained unemployed, I began to understand the difficult reality of finding my first full-time teaching position.

Now, the previous paragraph was not meant to discourage or scare you; rather, I hope those of you who are still searching or will begin the search shortly will take comfort in knowing that playing “the waiting game” is normal. Nevertheless, I urge you to be proactive in your job search. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Prepare your resume and cover letter in time for SNC’s Mock Interview Relay for Teachers (MIRT)—a polished resume will cry out to be sent; it’s just too beautiful not to share with anyone!


• Become acquainted with Job Search sites like Wisconsin.gov (search “Education,” then “Employment”) and WECAN; I used these sites most frequently and found that they both listed most openings


• If you’re interested in teaching at a Catholic school, check out Archdiocesan websites for employment opportunities


• Tell your friends, neighbors, former teachers, aunts, uncles, and cousins-twice-removed that you are looking for a job


• Know what you want and where you want to work, but be open to something new and unexpected.

To be honest, I wasn’t initially receptive to that last tip; while I claimed that I would teach anywhere in the state, what I really meant was “I’ll go anywhere in suburban areas on the east side of the state or near potential graduate schools.” I had an ideal in mind and stubbornly kept to it, and that closed-mindedness almost snatched away my first opportunity for an interview, the story behind which is a good example of my geographic naiveté and the importance of learning from our mistakes…

While searching WECAN for job openings, I happened upon a high school located in a town called ---ville. Having never heard of the town before, I eagerly Googled “---ville, WI.” The search resulted in a map with a small red dot on ----ville that, when I zoomed out on the map, appeared to be located near Madison. Excellent, I thought, it’s close to Madison, which means I’d be close to a graduate program and my brother! I downloaded the application materials for the position, did lots of research on the school, and wrote a dynamite cover letter that mentioned my interest in the district’s excellent writing initiative. I assembled all of my materials and slipped them into a fresh manila envelope, then performed one last search for ----ville. This time, however, I realized that there is more than one ----ville in Wisconsin, and the ----ville I was applying to wasn’t located near Madison…it was near LA CROSSE! FOUR HOURS west of my hometown! Out in the boonies! (I know La Crosse is nowhere near what one might consider “The Boonies,” but I was overreacting at the time).

I felt foolish; I was frustrated; I seriously considered not submitting my materials. A chat with my father, however, reminded me that jobs were scarce and any opportunity to interview was a good one. Besides, I was overconfidently placing the cart before the horse, worrying about what I would do if I were hired before I even submitted my materials!

I dropped the manila envelope into the mailbox, secretly wishing I would never hear from the high school.

One week later, I received my first call for an interview—it came from ----ville.

Though friends and family were thrilled for me, I considered the interview with only begrudged excitement. I wasn’t looking forward to the four-hour drive; I worried how I would maintain friendships while living that far west. I looked at websites for surrounding towns and scowled at their tiny populations. A suit sale at Macy’s perked my spirits—at least I would look good at this faraway interview—but I remained skeptical.

Then, on the road to the interview, I realized what an awful, closed-minded person I’d been. The drive to ---ville was pleasant; I had a great book on tape to listen to and clear, sunny skies surrounding me. I happily asked and answered potential interview questions as I drove, and was soon mesmerized by the beautiful scenery. My middle school English teacher told me she was from the La Crosse area—“Oh, don’t worry, it’s beautiful, you’ll love it” she told me when I recounted my embarrassing geographic mix-up. She was absolutely right.

I pulled into a picturesque town square for lunch and began thinking about how nice it might be to live in a small town, how life away from people I knew well would help me focus on writing and developing my classes. I enjoyed a delicious sandwich at a cute café and chided myself for judging ---ville so quickly.

To add to my chagrin, I could not have asked for a better first interview; the team was friendly, kind, and encouraging. They made me feel at ease, we laughed together; they impressed me with their knowledge and amount of educational technology. When the team asked if I had any questions, I wondered what drew them to the area and the district. Some replied that they had always loved the natural beauty, others mentioned that they had family there, and the principal said something that has stuck with me since that hot day in June. He explained how he’d started out as a teacher, engaged to be married, just wishing for a job, any job. “The principal was willing to take a chance on me, a new teacher, like you. I had planned on staying for only a little while, but I fell in love with the community.”

Suddenly, it hit me: the interview was a great gift, one for which I should have been so much more grateful! By wallowing in my preconceptions about ---ville, I had failed to meet my most important expectation for students: being open-minded! This principal was willing to take a chance on me, a brand-new teacher with no connections in the district. I put as much gratitude in my good-bye handshake as I could and drove home dreaming of the life I might be able to create for myself in the small town.

A week later, I received a letter informing me that I didn’t get the job. I was so disappointed; I’d fallen in love with the place I had wanted to avoid. Talk about Karma! Thankfully, things worked out for the best; the job I’m about to begin is one that feels tailor-made for me, and my apartment is in a quiet location with its own natural beauty. I might not have earned this job, however, without prior interview experience. My reluctant trip to ---ville proved to be a valuable learning opportunity that eased my nervousness about the interview process, motivated me to keep an open mind, and reminded me that some of life’s most important journeys are the ones we never planned to put on the map.