Tue 12 Dec 06

I had an interview scheduled this afternoon with the University of California at Davis for this job (click link), but they just emailed me yesterday saying that they were “reevaluating the position due to funding limitations” and needed to postpone the interview. In my experience any combination of those words is usually a death knell. So, I’ll wait to hear back from them next week, but I’m bummed.

Really, really, bummed.

I’m actually writing this from my work office write now (went in to work early to get on the Internet and prep a little for the interview I was expecting). I can hear kids outside of my door talking and yelling in their school classroom and it just makes me tired. They aren’t even acting up yet, but it reminds me of the constant interaction I’m going to have to have with them for eight hours tonight and tomorrow and so on.

It’s just really exhausting to spend a good chunk of your week, every week, working with kids with emotional and behavioral issues. And the thing of it is that I know I’m good at my job. Though maybe that makes it worse. I go in every day with a positive outlook, am patient with the kids, don’t react negatively when I’m hit with a stream of profanity or spit at, hold kids accountable for their actions, am super active, and take care of all my responsibilities. It’s just really tough working in a setting and with kids where you don’t get many of those tangible rewards/achievements. Where a good day might be a day where a kid only flips out twice and didn’t throw a chair. I miss working with kids (coaching wrestling) with normal coping skills who are capable of feeling appreciative and empathetic.

I’ve been doing this for four years and it’s time for a change. That’s what Oregon was supposed to be for, but, man, Davis/Sacramento would be awfully sweet too if we could make it work financially. Mediterranean climate, two hours to the Pacific, two hours to mountains, close to major National Parks (such as Yosemite).

*drifts off to daydream again…*