You know you're a goner when song lyrics really seem to be describing your recent experiences, and life in general. You know the feeling: a song comes on the playlist, whether it's the one on your phone or the one on a streaming site like Pandora or Spotify, and you immediately start looking around for the camera which has obviously been following you and recording your day-to-day life. You think, holy crap, whoever wrote this song knows what has been happening to me...I am the MUSE for these lyrics. I used to feel that way about the comic strip "Zits" when my daughter was a teenager, then I realized the universality of the parenting experience. The same is true about life events such as moving, job hunting, falling in love, etc...
Last week, I sat in a chair, twice, while four people I had never met took turns asking me questions about my training and experience and experience training others. They actually used the term "round robin" to describe their questioning technique, which immediately brought to mind one of my favorite children's picture books, Round Robin. Give me the chance and I can link almost any experience or circumstance to a children's or young adult book. (I wonder if that would be considered a marketable skill...) They asked probing questions about how I would build rapport and relationships which would lead to providing excellent services for students. I knew the answers because I have done this many times over the course of my 24-year career in education. I have experienced success in this area, and I will do that again, but first I have to convince these small groups representing a community such as a school or a large department, that I am the person who can provide this and so much more, given the opportunity.
Their questions made me pause and re-examine my abilities, closely. The one which really stumped me was what I could bring to the position, not knowing who else was in the running (which they acknowledged), that no one else could bring. No.one.else. Wow, that's a really tall order, so I definitely needed think time on that one. How could I prove I am truly one of a kind, a proposition which would make my family and friends howl with delight because, well, I'm definitely different, or so I've been told. I'm pretty sure the answer they were looking for wasn't snappy professional outfits, but I do have that attribute in the bag. Now mentally making a list and ticking the boxes: professional dress...check. Well, I thought, I have 22 years in a variety of classrooms and two as a specialist coordinating two separate district-wide programs, so that's something fairly significant, in my opinion. Classroom experience...check. Coordinator experience...check. I heard myself begin talking about my passion for my work. Passion and commitment...check. Experience building relationships with administrators and heads of departments...check. Perseverance in solving problems and finishing tasks...check. Professional development experience...check. Hey, I thought, I'm sounding pretty dang strong as a candidate for this position.
Before I became too big-headed to fit out of the door, they asked me a question I honestly had to answer "I'm sorry, but I don't know" to. Oh, well, I thought, if I knew everything, what would be left to learn? Now, to convince them that is actually a positive attribute...
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