I stayed away for as long as I could, but it feels good to be back.

Proceed with caution. This is a wordy update.

Several months ago I made the decision to go back to teaching. I immediately started looking into licensing procedures (long and expensive and bureaucratic, I don't get how math in Massachusetts is any different than it was in New York). In the meantime I started looking into private (or independent as they're called here) schools, most of which do not require any kind of license. I sent out resumes did some online applications and came to the conclusion that my timing couldn't possibly be worse. It was October before I was seriously searching and by then even the back up positions were filled.

I had applied for a substitute position in Boston Public Schools and was rejected (just initially though, they hired me in round two). I'm not really sure what kind of bar they had set if my master's degree and 4 years of experience didn't impress them. But I never even heard back from Cambridge or Somerville. And I was told by a teacher placement company that they couldn't do anything for me. I had sent out dozens of resumes with no response. My prospects looked grim, so I gave myself a deadline. Keep in mind, it's winter in New England. I walk through snow tunnels whenever I leave my house. There have been no fewer than 6 snow days since the first of the year. So my deadline was June. If I didn't have a job by June 1, I was moving to California. My prospects would be much worse there, but at least I'd see the sun occasionally.

Once I had the deadline, I decided to beef up my resume (again) and sally forth. I was visiting my sister in North Carolina when I got the first promising phone call. It was from one Lenesa Leana, quite possibly the kindest person I've ever met and head of school for Belmont Day School. She told me that she came across my resume (one of the ones I had sent out months ago) minutes after her 8th grade math teacher said she was likely leaving at the end of the year. She called me that day and I met with her later that week. It went perfectly. She asked me to come back to meet some of the staff and students, which also went well. All signs point to me getting the job if the teacher indeed does not come back.

While I was anxiously awaiting for that appointment, I got a phone call from Allison from Boston Day and Evening Academy. They were looking for a longterm sub through the end of the year. One of their high school math teachers had gone on Christmas break and hadn't returned. The initial interview and call back lesson went perfectly.  (I learned later that the students actually voted on the candidates). The next day they called to offer me the job and wanted me to start the day after that. (not surprisingly, it turned out to be a snow day.) 

I started Thursday, and as I sat in my classroom at the end of the day, (a little overwhelmed with the task of taking on someone else's classes) I was filled with all sorts of familiar feelings. I remembered why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place. The school is great. It's in Roxbury working with the same population I taught in NYC. The Boston kids think I was wise to leave New York. Apparently everyone is rude there. The staff is awesome and caring and idealistic and helpful and beyond "the system" and student focused. It's a charter school that has a great deal of autonomy. No one has even mentioned a print rich classroom or asked me what I'm going to put on my bulletin board. This is a good fit for me, and I'm happy.