Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The annals of summer 2007
So far it's not as exhausting or frustrating as last year. The kids aren't signed up for any activities outside of their morning swimming lessons and, glory be! the older ones are old enough to go to the pool on their own if necessary. It's a short walk and they know about 50% of the people at the pool at any given time, including the lifeguards. I'm happy they can do some small things on their own now; happy for me and happy for them. I'm glad that they can have a taste of what my own childhood was like, with some freedom from parental supervision, but without the being kicked out after breakfast and not allowed to come back 'til supper.
Our neighbourhood is like a small town in many ways. You can't venture very far without running into someone you know and having a chat. In summer the pool is the locus for all kinds of socializing and fun. There's also a soccer area and a basketball court there, so there's lots to do in that small area.
Most of the time I go to the pool with the kids, because I feel guilty if I don't and because it's good fun for me and the little one too. What I'd love to do is go on my own and actually swim some laps, instead of standing there holding someone up while being splashed continually by everyone around me.
So far so good. We might just survive this with our familial relationships intact. I'll get back to you.
So far it's not as exhausting or frustrating as last year. The kids aren't signed up for any activities outside of their morning swimming lessons and, glory be! the older ones are old enough to go to the pool on their own if necessary. It's a short walk and they know about 50% of the people at the pool at any given time, including the lifeguards. I'm happy they can do some small things on their own now; happy for me and happy for them. I'm glad that they can have a taste of what my own childhood was like, with some freedom from parental supervision, but without the being kicked out after breakfast and not allowed to come back 'til supper.
Our neighbourhood is like a small town in many ways. You can't venture very far without running into someone you know and having a chat. In summer the pool is the locus for all kinds of socializing and fun. There's also a soccer area and a basketball court there, so there's lots to do in that small area.
Most of the time I go to the pool with the kids, because I feel guilty if I don't and because it's good fun for me and the little one too. What I'd love to do is go on my own and actually swim some laps, instead of standing there holding someone up while being splashed continually by everyone around me.
So far so good. We might just survive this with our familial relationships intact. I'll get back to you.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Update II
The day before we left on our little holiday I received a very nice letter in the mail from the place where I'd interviewed, saying that I didn't get the job. It's what I expected, and to be honest I didn't even feel a twinge of disappointment. I felt all along that they were interviewing me out of curiosity and for future consideration. They would have to be crazy to hire me for this, a full-time teaching position, replacing a teacher with a full course load. So they hired someone with many years of experience, which is good. I hope that they'll consider me for part-time, as that's how I would prefer to start. In the meantime I will continue to make applications elsewhere and think about how I can boost my qualifications.
I think that doing the interview was a great opportunity for me. I look back on it and see what I would do differently next time, and what worked well for me. It was a valuable experience and I'm still pretty chuffed that they even considered me. I'm pretty hopeful that it's not the last interview I'll get, and feel good that the next one will be even better.
The day before we left on our little holiday I received a very nice letter in the mail from the place where I'd interviewed, saying that I didn't get the job. It's what I expected, and to be honest I didn't even feel a twinge of disappointment. I felt all along that they were interviewing me out of curiosity and for future consideration. They would have to be crazy to hire me for this, a full-time teaching position, replacing a teacher with a full course load. So they hired someone with many years of experience, which is good. I hope that they'll consider me for part-time, as that's how I would prefer to start. In the meantime I will continue to make applications elsewhere and think about how I can boost my qualifications.
I think that doing the interview was a great opportunity for me. I look back on it and see what I would do differently next time, and what worked well for me. It was a valuable experience and I'm still pretty chuffed that they even considered me. I'm pretty hopeful that it's not the last interview I'll get, and feel good that the next one will be even better.
