A Nervous Ball of Energy

I am currently doing everything in my power to not think about my job interview in four hours. This has been the oddest yet a great week. Let me tell you about my this past week.

Sunday: After having traveled 9.5 hours on Saturday (we left at 5 AM, and I was up at 3:30) and then talking and catching up with relatives for another 7 hours, I was finally able to go to sleep. I awoke much more refreshed and ready to commence on the awfully long day that goes along with two funeral viewing times.

I spent the morning furiously writing. I was sitting there in a place I didn't want to be, and I was upset about it. My mind needed a break from all the thoughts, so I spent the next hour writing them all down. I felt much better after that.

The afternoon was spent in the funeral home talking with my cousins as person after person came to pay their respects to my Grandma, and we didn't know person after person walking into the funeral home. The great thing about funerals is all the family getting together and spending time catching up. The hours of 3-5 and 7-9 moved along so incredibly slow. Finally, it was time for us to leave. We all needed ice cream after that ordeal, so we headed to Cold-stone with my cousin Dan, his girlfriend Alyssa, and their adorable daughter Mia. As our souls were soothed by ice cream (and peanut butter for me), we all commented that this was exactly what we needed. I was reminded of my Pappy and his utter love of ice cream, and it made me miss him even more.

Monday: The funeral service for my Grandma. I hadn't cried much during the viewing, but I couldn't stop crying during the processional into the service--especially when I saw Helga. I was okay during the service until my Dad, two of his sisters, and my cousin with the same name talked about Grandma. In each and everyone of their speeches, the tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Driving to the graveside: It's fun being part of the funeral procession and running red lights and stop signs :). We also drove 40 on the highway which was marked at 65. Then it was lunch time where we spent more time with all of our family and relatives.

After everyone one packed up, we (R, P, and I) drove through the night to come home to WI arriving at 2 Tuesday morning.

Tuesday: I didn't go into school because I needed a day of rest. Since Thursday was going to be my last day, I knew I needed to continue submitting more job applications. I had worked on some applications and questions on the drive home, and I just needed to upload them. This was about 10 in the morning.

11:30, RUSD called me back to reschedule the interview which had been originally scheduled for Monday, Grandma's funeral. We scheduled it for Monday at 11:00. Hopefully, I'll be able to make this one.

1:15, I receive a call from one of the school's I had submitted an application to 3 hours earlier--PES. They wanted to set up an interview for Wednesday. I jumped at the opportunity, and set the time for 5:30 the next day. I was thrown for a loop that they looked at my application and wanted to set up an interview right away.

Wednesday: It was the last full day of school. The day was spent mainly playing games and cleaning our classroom. I didn't provide any instruction to my students. While cleaning, I kept prepping my interview responses for later that day, and then I was filling my coworker in on my weekend and my upcoming interview.

5:30 my interview starts. It went incredibly better than my first interview that I had a couple of weeks ago. I met with the principal, RB, until 6:10. My answers were clear with plenty of good examples, and I was relaxed and comfortable talking to the principal. I left thinking it went well and wondering if I would maybe get called back for a second interview as he had asked me what my schedule would be like Friday and beyond.

Thursday: Last day of school. Last day of student teaching. Last day of being a student. It was--I wonder which word I will use, oh wait the one that I've been using at every ending point for the past year--bittersweet. Around 11:00, my cooperating teacher pulls me from the classroom I was assisting in. JS explains that the principal from PES called JB (DES's principal). JB had been out of the office, so RB had left a message. JB wanted JS to be in the room when JB called RB back. I needed to wait with one of our students in our classroom. I anxiously waited trying to compose some emails and wondering what would happen next in my life. JS, finally, walks; she's super excited waving RB's phone number, and telling me that I was supposed to call and set up a time for a second interview.

I said goodbye to my students at 11:20 and at 11:30, the students were gone. I was a little surprised how many students were crying--they were incredibly heart-broken that the school year was finished.

I called RB, and we set up an interview time for today at 12:30 until 2. They will tell me some specific district/contract information at the beginning. I will then receive a box of materials, and I'll have 20 minutes to prepare a literacy lesson. I will then teach the literacy lesson to a 3rd grade teacher, a 4th grade teacher, the literacy coach, and the principal. After my lesson, I will be given a tour of the school.

Ever since I ended the conversation, I've been completely freaking out. There's no way to prepare for this interview, and that is just killing me. Besides not being able to prepare, my mind started racing thinking of all the possibilities and going through all the "What if . . .'s" Since then, I've been distracting myself and keeping my mind busy with other work, so I don't focus on it. I was also extremely exhilarated that I was done, done, done, done, done. (See previous post)

I went to the library, read, prayed, watched a movie, had dinner, prayed, cleaned, prayed, talked with some people, wrote, read some more, prayed, and finally slept.

Friday: Now I only have three hours until the interview, but I'm still keeping my mind distracted and away from thinking about the interview. I'm a nervous ball of energy as I occupy my mind so I don't focus on this job interview and the possible outcome while still trying to prepare mentally. Pretty sure, I've never been more nervous, excited, and confused. It's been an absolutely crazy week, and it's not even done yet.