Lots of interesting stories

Thank you, everybody, for your replies. I thought I was alone in my wanderings towards a job. However, it is sad that I have so much company.

I posted the original, and since I posted it I’ve driven to 18 local districts to ‘show my face’ and drop off a resume, hoping to give ‘chance’ a chance to work. Didn’t happen.

I’ve also attended two job fairs, where I got the good old HR glad hand. Texas, “Yeah, we got jobs. Move down here and we’ll talk about it.” I wonder if he even realized the absurdity of his statement. After returning from the fairs, I checked out all the districts who said they had social studies openings. Most of them had no openings listed, so why did they say they did? I’m not going to invest all the time those maddening applications take for districts with nary a job listed! I’m siding with those who feel HR are not very professional, no, I’m going to say after eight years of observing them, they are incompetent. I did get interviewed by one district in Columbia, SC. They told me they had one job, but speaking Spanish was required. There’s always something! I would have so liked that job, because my grandkids live there.

So, I have decided to quit the circus, admit defeat and move on. After all, 400+ resumes delivered, 250 applications, countless administration building visits have netted me, since 2001, just four interviews, including the one above.

What will I do? I used to sub in Oregon, where I also taught full time for a year. I am just 75 working hours away from being vested in their retirement system. At one of the April job fairs I was interviewed by the Oregon district where I subbed for four years, and they will likely rehire me. Unlike many people, I love the challenge of subbing, (maybe its that Navy life where everything was always changing) and I love being with the kids. Like someone else above that had a successful subbing career, that is exactly what I had. I had a list of teachers that requested me (they were my clients), and quite a following of kids, who liked me in their classroom.

So, I’m going to semi-retire. I’m already retired from the Navy. I’ll return to Oregon and sub for 10 more years (who knows, maybe I’ll get a full-time position), giving me 15 years in their system at age 66. Then, I’ll apply for social security at full retirement age (I know, if it’s there) and have my Navy, my Oregon PERS and social security with their attendant medical coverage… and I can still sub.

I have started writing short stories, and working on some other long neglected projects that subbing will give me time to attend to. I like that subbing allows me total control of my time. If a story or project needs me, I won’t take a job that day.

Yes, it saddens me to know that the ‘education system’ has no use for me cause I’m male, too old and gray, have a MA and 2 BS, don’t coach, suffered disabilities serving in the forces that protect the nation… etc. But, for me, all that is really important is to ‘be there for the kids’. They need males as examples in their lives, and as a sub I had real influence on some of my kids, and it showed in what they went on to do, and in decisions they made. I’ve even had graduates stop by my subbing room to say ‘hi’.

So, the chase is over. If I had it to do over again, maybe I wouldn’t. But, it’s all about the kids.
A note to Bryan. This site seems geared to preK and elementary. What about all of us who are/want to teach middle and high school?