I feel like Im in an odd sort of limbo lately.

I have a job. I have a classroom.

I dont have students – no one knows when they will be starting and if it will be after the break
I dont have email – people keep asking why I didnt know about this meeting or that cookie break
I dont have a mail box – stuff for me is getting shoved in brandus’ box, who usually forgets to give it to me

It feels like i DONT really have a job, in some ways. I mean, if they want to pay me to sit and obsessively rearrange my new classroom, I really dont mind, but it feels weird. And I havent gotten paid YET, so Im not entirely sure Im not just..here..volunteering to inventory and deal with the layout of a new PreK classroom, which is harder than you would think.

But, one of my supervisors just called me, wanting to get me trained in one of the curriculums, so I suppose I havent made everything up. Unless Im having auditory hallucinations as well.

So, I have a job.

Funny story! See, I had this interview at the rec center for a part time job as the After School Program Director. they were supposed to call me by last Wednesday, where I could then call Belk, who also offered me a job, and say no thanks to Belks, and jaunt off happily to do the fun stuff with kids like crafts and games and sing dumb camp songs.

Wednesday passes by. No call!

Thursday begins to pass by..no call.

Finally, at around 6 o’clock, when I’ve got a cranky baby on my hip, and Im trying to finish dinner – stir frying veggies one handed? AWESOME – the phone chirps like it does when there is a message.

Hmm, thinks I. Perhaps the rec center called! i should check my messages right away!

It’s not the rec center. It’s not Belk. It’s…Brandus’ principal. She wants me to call her right away, and she leaves me the school number, her cell number AND her home number.

Err? thinks I. She does not state it’s an emergency, and it didn’t sound like anything weird had happened to brandus, so i return the call. cautiously, as people are often crazier than they appear.

DO I WANT A JOB? she says there is one open if im interested – show up tomorrow. bring ID!

???! is my basic response, as that..sounded more like a job OFFER than a job INTERVIEW.

but hey, i show up, i have my resume and letter of rec and praxis schools and what the hell.

and then? i get introduced around the school, during my “interview” as the new special ed Pre K teacher!

So..i have a job? I start tomorrow? Yay money?

*weeps quietly in corner*

I dont know what i did to the teaching gods, but they could at least stop mocking me, you know?

Let me ask you a question.

Let’s say you have two jobs, job A and job B.

At job A, worker A comes into work at 7:30am, looks over the plans left on the desk, executes plans, walks children to bus, and leaves.

For this, worker A brings home the tidy sum of $90.

At job B, worker B comes into work at 7:30am, looks over plans made by self previously, executes plans, walks children to bus, does report cards, attends afterschool training, does before and afterschool duty once a week, holds parent/teacher conferences, and creates more lesson plans.

For this, worker B brings home the tidy sum of $90.

Worker B looks at worker A’s job and says, HUH? She contacts people, asking if this was right. She is told to shut up and do the work assigned, even though she WAS worker A just a few short weeks ago.

She emails the principal, expressing concerns and asking for clarification of responsibilities.

Email is ignored.

Worker B then contacts the district office by phone, and is addressed as, “oh yes, the one who wants more money.”

One week later, worker B is called into principal’s office, at the end of the day after the kids and the aide have left and told she won’t be needed anymore. When worker B asks why, she is told that her lesson plans are lacking and the way she speaks to the kids makes the principal frown. Ignore the fact that there was no notice taken when worker B brought up concerns about how aide B spoke to the kids in the classroom.

Now, what would you bet is the REAL reason worker B was asked to leave?