Kate the great!

So, I don't want to over do my welcome today, but I have one thing to clear up. In my first post I made a flippant comment about principals and teachers that I was with during my time as an Educational Assistant. I tried to clear it up by talking about a couple of the great teachers I have worked with. I thought it was all settled, then I realized I had left one important person out of my kiss-up blog!

I worked with Kate Barker when she was the principal at Mill Park, two years ago. I always loved how Kate greeted everyone, every morning. She always had a smile on her face and she always made me feel comfortable.

This last summer was a tough one for me. Up until this summer I had never really had to interview for a job. Being rejected over and over is a little hard on the self-esteem. My first two interviews were certainly difficult and I was not feeling ready to go at it again! Of course I continued to look for jobs, but I was not called for any interviews, because there were just too many qualified, unemployed teachers.

Kate posted a kindergarten position. I jumped at the opportunity to apply for a job where I would not only be in kindergarten, but I would get to work with Kate again. The closing day came and went and I didn't hear anything, so I just chalked it up to another swing and a miss.

A day after closing I go an email from Kate telling me to come in for an interview with her and Matt, another great person that works with Kate.

I went in and gave a good interview and they invited me back for a second interview. The second interview was in front of several of the teachers from Kate's school. I was SO nervous! She came and got me for the interview. She told me that the reason I did so well in the last interview was that I was myself. I didn't try to be something else. This meant a lot to me, but I FROZE in the second interview. I answered most of the questions well, but it took me a little longer than it should have to come up with an answer. As much as you want to be yourself in an interview, you can't help but think about what they want to hear.

3 painstakingly difficult days after the interview, Kate called me and told me that I had not gotten the job. I thanked her for giving me the opportunity to interview. She told me that the only opportunity she had given me was the first interview, and that I had completely earned the second interview.

Several days after this phone call she met with me and gave me some pointers for my next interview.

Kate has always gone the extra mile for me, and the experience that I got by going through that ordeal is priceless. Since then she has continued to look out for me and my development into a great teacher. Thank you Kate!