I said to my mother ealier today that this was my last summer and it made me stop, cold.  My last summer.  Of college classes.  I didn’t know what to expect when I first got started, and now that I’m almost done, I have trouble remembering what it was like to get started! 

This week is my last week of summer classes.  I have all of my papers and projects done, my homework is complete (with the exception of one little part that I forgot about but can finish tomorrow morning), and now all I have to do is study for finals.  Those all happen on Wednesday and Thursday, and afterwards I’ll be done for two weeks.

This summer has seen some decision-making on my part.  I haven’t shared about them here because, frankly, I’ve been too busy to blog.  I don’t like being that busy, because writing is such a good outlet for me, but that’s the way life goes.  Anyway, after a very long discussion with one of my old math teachers, I made some decisions about how I’m going to handle re-entering the workforce.

Here’s my dilemma.  By doing the alternative program for certification, I’m bypassing the student teaching/internship that normally comes with becoming a teacher.  This has pros and cons.  The biggest pro is that I am saving myself a year of tuition, books, and fees, and earning a year’s salary instead.  The biggest con is that I’m going to miss the training a new teacher would get through the internship.  So, I think I’ve found a happy medium.  I’m going to start substitiute teaching on Fridays this coming fall semester.  I won’t get a lot of actual teaching experience, but I will get classroom management experience.  The bigger benefit is that I am forming relationships with the people that are in charge of hiring full-time teachers.  When I am finally ready to apply for a full-time position, they will already know me – which is a big plus.  Now, since I will be graduating in December, I will, technically, be available to start teaching in January.  Math teachers are in short supply, so there’s no doubt that I will be able to find a job, it’s just a matter of where that job is located.  I want to work for one of the school districts that are really close to me (goodbye commuting!), and there are no guarantees that they will have any openings halfway through a school year.  Plus, taking over a class in the middle of the year?  Not a fun idea.  Instead, I’m going to look to a couple of local junior colleges to see if they will hire me for an adjunct position to teach developmental math.  I know people in the math department at both schools, and either one would be happy to recommend me.  Then, next summer, I can begin applying for full-time teaching positions with the local districts, and I’ll have the huge benefit of a semester plus of experience.  Now my only problem is figuring out how I need to go about getting hired as a substitute.