Friends! I’ve accepted a teaching job! I am beyond excited for this new season and can’t wait to get started!
Here are the details. Two weeks ago, a job popped up at a private Christian school in Neptune Beach, 35 minutes from our house and just a few blocks from the ocean. I had previously found a posting at another Christian school in Jacksonville, but when I drove around the school and prayed, I didn’t feel like I was supposed to apply. This school felt completely opposite of that. I explored the website and was really happy with everything I read and the photos I saw. I submitted my application Friday night, and Saturday morning I received an invitation to interview! It was so encouraging to finally get an interview after applying for a dozen English teaching jobs in our area. It’s just tricky with a 12-year teaching gap. Obviously, I was doing other big things in that time, but our public school district is rated the top in the state and is very competitive, so a gap doesn’t help.
Just after getting this invitation to interview, I received another at one of the new middle schools in our district. Both interviews were held on the same day. At the end of the day, I felt great about both opportunities and knew all I could do was follow up with a thank you message and wait. The Christian school had said they would be considering candidates for a couple weeks, so I was really surprised when I got a call with an offer the next afternoon! I was thrilled, but I also wanted to hear from the other school before accepting. A few days later, I was told that I was in the top few for the public school position, but they didn’t feel I would have adequate support as a new teacher at a new school where they were only hiring one English teacher. It felt like an answer to prayer, and I immediately called to accept the position at the Christian school.
I’m so excited to be teaching again!! The school is small, having just one class of about 20 students in each grade, which means I’ll have the opportunity to really get to know the students. I will be teaching language arts in grades 6, 7, and 8, and I think I’ll be doing some Bible teaching, as well. I’ll get all the exact details in the coming week when I meet with administration and see my classroom again. It’s been hard to wait for the meeting because I feel so ready to start digging into lesson planning and setting up my classroom! I’ve been pouring through Pinterest and Etsy but am holding off on any real plans until I have all the details.
I think this school is going to be a really good fit for me. Being able to bring scripture and biblical principles into the classroom will be a completely different perspective from being in a public school. The whole school meets daily for worship and there is a week in the fall filled with special speakers, Bible studies, and a beach baptism. I feel like God is bringing all my skills and loves together in this new job!
School starts pretty early down here, so I’ll report to school on August 4 and start with students on August 10. We’ll be in Minnesota most of July, so my school prep will be on the road. Ella and Sam don’t start school until the week after I do, so we’ll have a little juggling to do. We’re currently close to matching with a new au pair, so we’re hoping she’ll be able to transition in with us quickly, though dates have yet to be set. We would love your prayers through these transitions! They’re all really exciting, but they also involve lots of planning, which has potential to be stressful. But we’re entering a new chapter! I can’t wait!!
Congratulations, so happy for you and thankful that He hears our prayers!!