Career Change: The Job Offer

I am interrupting my regularly scheduled Writing Challenge blog post to bring this Career Change update.  I'll still be posting the writing challenge blog a little later today.

When I last wrote about my career change, it was to post my test results, which, by the way, I will be receiving my ESL test results later today. I do not have high hopes for a passing score and will, most likely, be retaking the test in July. Since that early April posting, I have been spending the past several weeks going on several different interviews all over the Greater Boston area.  The interviews have been equally for English Language Arts (ELA) and English Language Learner (ELL (f/k/a ESL)) positions. I've been keeping my fingers crossed for an ELA position, which is where my teaching heart truly lies.

Today, I was advised by Teach for America that I had received a job offer and I cannot lie - I have mixed feelings over this teaching position. 75% of me is thrilled beyond words that (1) I have been placed, (2) been placed in a high school - AND (3) placed in a high school where I can do much good. The school is SeaCoast High School, located in Revere, MA, which is an alternative high school for students who have had difficulty in other educational settings. What about the other 25%?  15% of me is disappointed.  I have been hired to teach ELL. I guess that means all the English literature lessons that I had been planning on teaching will have to go in my hope chest.  The last 10% is pure, unadulterated terror! I have absolutely no idea on how to teach ELL.  I know that this summer I'll receive some guidance from Teach for America on how to teach ELL, yet I still feel hugely out of my element.  Teaching English is still my dream subject and I am hoping that the statement made during my interview at SeaCoast, which was that they may ask me to teach an English or drama class in addition to my ELL classes, will be true. Fingers crossed.

The other good news is that it's only a two year commitment. It could be that after the two years, I won't want to teach anything but ELL. Or at the end of the two years, I'll be free to find a new position in which I can teach literature.  Time will tell.  All in all though, I am psyched!

Update at 5:31 pm, 6/15/12:  As I suspected, I failed the ESL MTEL.  Miserably, I might add.  I scored a 216.  240 is passing.  <shrugs>  Oh well, I'll take it again in July.  Hopefully I'll do better.