I've been told that this winter has been an incredibly mild winter for the coast. For which I am really glad because I would not do well with lots of snow and having to drive around in it. A mild winter also means that the foliage will come out a lot faster in the spring. And was it ever beautiful! My sister would have really enjoyed seeing how all the trees were covered in flowers: pinks, purples, yellows, reds, whites. It was great. I was told that the cherry tree blossoms down in Washington, DC were worth the travel time, but this year they came too early so I would have had to miss work to see them. Maybe next year I can post pictures.
I guess I should mention my work. After about a month or so of being here, and applying at probably 50 different places, I got an interview with a credit union in the area. God seemed to have opened this door for me, I applied on a whim because I was so impressed when we set up our account with them, and I got an interview! It seems a bit strange to be working at a credit union (CU) when I just spent 4 years training to be a teacher. Teaching, at the moment, is out of the picture (more about that later).
Honestly, I was just glad to have a job lined up. I am really enjoying working at the CU, it's engaging work where you always have to be on your toes. Essentially, I'm one of the people who set up and maintain accounts and work with patrons to be sure their accounts are in good order. Our members make sure that no two things are exactly alike. Most of the time it's great and the members are really generous and kind. Fortunately, I haven't had any trouble yet. I'm actually getting a few more hours a week already, so I guess my managers are impressed. :)
Now I can explain why it seems like teaching is a closed door at the moment. While I was student teaching in Abilene last fall, I looked into changing my Texas certification to a Maryland certification. In looking, I figured out that I couldn't do anything until I had my actual Texas certification. So I waited. Once that came in January, I gathered everything I needed (or so I thought): my certification, my Texas test scores, transcript, and a cover letter with lots of personal information. Once I had sent all that in, I waited.
And waited.
And finally got an email saying that they wouldn't accept the test scores the way I sent them (which I had to ask for from my certification offer), which is the only way that Texas sends scores. Instead, I was required to get my scores sent on a TEA letterhead. The question I had to ask was why would TEA give me my scores on letterhead when they don't even mail your scores out to you? Oh well, I got in touch with a very nice lady who sent me 2 copies on letterhead (one for them and one for me).
So I sent that in, again.
In the original email, the Dept of Education said that once I sent that last piece of information they needed in, I would be assigned a representative to look at my case and they would respond in 14-16 weeks, saying whether or not I qualified for a Maryland certification. Therefore, it was fairly pointless to try to get a Maryland teaching job at the moment.
Anyway... things are going fairly well. I'll post later about our church and small group.
