"You're only as tall as your heart will let you be, and you're only as small as the world will make you seem. When the going gets rough and you feel like you will fall, just look on the bright side: you're roughly six feet tall." ~Never Shout Never, On the Brightside
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Warning: cheesy pun ahead!!!
To which my reply was: "We should get it, because even when time get shitty, we would still have a pot to piss in."
Cha Ching.
OK, that was bad.
Monday, September 28, 2009
This one looks like a good one too...cover letter abounds!!!
Classroom Literacy Mentor
ORGANIZATION: Scott Carver Dakota CAP Agency, Inc. | CATEGORY: Education |
ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
The CAP Agency is a private, non-profit organization serving families and individuals of all ages living in Scott, Carver and Dakota counties. Services in Scott and Carver counties include early childhood and nutrition education, food and clothing assistance, transitional housing, childcare, crisis nursery, transportation, energy assistance, congregate dining and home-delivered meals.
JOB TITLE: Classroom Literacy Mentor | LOCATION: Twin Cities Metro |
SALARY: $25,572/yr TYPE: Full Time / 40 hours DEADLINE: 9/16/2009
PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Literacy Mentor provides mentoring to classroom staff through guidance, coaching, modeling, training, support and information. Coordinates Words Work student assessments in order to meet the goals and implement the strategies of Words Work. This position works closely with the teaching staff, the Words Work Project Coordinator and the Education Coordinator to coordinate Words Work classroom-related activities. This position also works closely with all areas of Head Start as part of the team that provides comprehensive services to children and families.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education/Child Development or equivalent four-year degree or equivalent related experience.
Experience: Three years experience as a teacher in an early childhood program. Experience working with culturally diverse and low-income families. Experience with adult learning and teacher skill development. Coursework or training in literacy-related areas and literacy-related work experience preferred.
Abilities and skills. Must have leadership skills including capacity to mentor other staff. Must have knowledge of child development; developmentally appropriate practice and emergent literacy concepts. Strong organizational skills required. Excellent reading, writing and interpersonal communication skills required. Must be available for occasional evening work. May have to work at multiple Words Work sites.
Physical Abilities: Ability to lift and carry approximately 40 pounds. Capable of reacting to demands of group of 3-5 year olds.
Travel: Access to reliable transportation.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Location is Shakopee, MN
This position is full time - Seasonal (mid August through Mid June).
Eligible for pro-rated benefits.
HOW TO APPLY:
Fax: 952-402-9815
Web-Site: www.capagency.org
Mail: Scott-Carver-Dakota CAP Agency
Attn: Jean - HR
712 Canterbury Road S
Shakopee, MN 55379
Welcome fall
Sunday, September 27, 2009
People of Walmart
Saturday, September 26, 2009
I WANT THIS JOB!!!
Youth Program Specialist, North Regional Library
ORGANIZATION: Hennepin County Library | CATEGORY: Education |
ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
Forty-one libraries. More than 5 million books, CDs and DVDs in 40 world languages. Sixteen hundred public computers. Eleven library board members. One great system serving 1.1 million residents of Hennepin County. In 2008 the Hennepin County Library system merged with the Minneapolis Library system, creating a premier 41-library system to serve both city and suburban Hennepin County. The library is committed to serving as Hennepin County’s partner in lifelong learning with programs for babies to seniors, new immigrants, small business owners and students of all ages. Hennepin County Library launched in 1922; its headquarters are at Ridgedale Library in Minnetonka, Minn.
JOB TITLE: Youth Program Specialist, North Regional Library | LOCATION: Twin Cities Metro |
SALARY: $14.50 - $17.50/hour TYPE: Part Time / 20 hours DEADLINE: 9/25/2009
PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
YOUTH PROGRAM SPECIALIST, HENNEPIN COUNTY LIBRARY
(NORTH REGIONAL LIBRARY)
Hennepin County Library is seeking a Youth Program Specialist at the North Regional Library in Minneapolis, MN. This grant-funded position will assist customers ages 11-17 with their participation in youth development programs, library activities and leadership opportunities. Working in conjunction with a dedicated team of library staff, this person will serve as the primary contact for youth during after school and evening hours.
This is a part-time (approximately 15-20 hours per week on a Tuesday – Sunday schedule) contracted position with Hennepin County Library and not an employee of Hennepin County.
Salary: $14.50 - $17.50 per hour based on qualifications
Primary duties include:
• In conjunction with library staff and youth themselves, assess needs and interests of young people and align related programming opportunities at the Library.
• Plan and facilitate a youth advisory council and/or interest teams focused on issues, interests and skills of the young people at North Regional.
• Conduct outreach to other youth serving agencies and neighborhood groups to develop partnerships and recruit participants for activities and programs.
• Connect, recruit and coordinate with parents and other community members to increase involvement with the Library.
• In conjunction with library staff, develop and conduct program evaluation and make program recommendations.
• Perform administrative duties including maintenance of participation records, program outcomes, scheduling and goal measurement.
• Communicate impact and outcomes to stakeholders.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Requirements:
• High School diploma or equivalent
And one of the following:
• Minimum of two years of experience in the youth development field or similar experience working with urban youth
• Associate Degree: youth coursework desired.
• A combination of experience and education
Reference and criminal background checks will be conducted for finalists.
Desired Qualifications:
• Ability to work with urban youth from a wide array of backgrounds and socio-economic status
• Considerable knowledge of the North Minneapolis and Hennepin County organizations that provide youth-related services.
• Creativity and innovation to apply youth development practices to a library setting.
• Ability to organize, plan, implement and manage several projects at the same time.
• Skill in application of technology for communication, information finding, program delivery and reporting.
• Ability to strongly advocate for youth within a larger institution.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This is a part-time (approximately 15-20 hours per week on a Tuesday – Sunday schedule) contracted position with Hennepin County Library and not an employee of Hennepin County.
Salary: $14.50 - $17.50 per hour based on qualifications
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested applicants should send or e-mail their resume and cover letter to Aaron Lundholm, North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Avenue North, Minneapolis 55411 or AALundholm@hclib.org by Friday, September 25, 2009.
Monday, September 21, 2009
I love generic rejections
1. Fraser School gave me not a courtesy phone call, but an awkward e-mail rejection in the form of
Thank you for the opportunity to consider you for the Assistant Teacher - Infants position. At this time, the position has been accepted by another candidate. Please browse our current openings for other positions that may interest you. Remember, you can apply for up to three positions at a time. This message only applies to the Assistant Teacher - Infants position and does not apply to other positions you may have applied for. We will relist this position if becomes available again. Have a great day.I love that this wasn't actually signed by a real person too. Just "Fraser Human Resources." And, not only did I receive one of these, but I also received another identical one for another position I applied for at the same school.
2. I have a list of SEVEN organizations/positions in my inbox currently that I should apply for, but I haven't yet. I'm not sure when I will get up the motivation to write an entirely new cover letter, but I have to soon. I have to.
3. Followed up with the Minnesota Reading Corps today too, but I didn't get a hold of anyone I called. Hopefully they take me seriously.
4. What do I need to do to get a job around here? Who knows? Advice welcome.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The best job search story of the day goes to this one, by far
Said receptionist lady behind the desk points out that the best thing for me to do would be to call the schools themselves and let them know that I am looking and I have applied for positions at that school. She then hands me a five-page list of all of the schools in said district. Granted, I know this information and have been doing this from day one. The list is online and I've been following up.
So out of pure paranoia this afternoon while waiting for my second interview of the day, I decide to start calling some of the high schools in the district to see if they got my application materials. Of course, I get a voice mail. I leave a message explaining who I am and what I'm looking for and my contact information.
Low and behold, after completing said second interview I have voice mail waiting on my phone from principal at said high school I left a voice mail with. (This is another of my favorite activities of the job hunt. I don't think I've talked to so many recording devices in my life, and might actually have to start investing in the recording machine industry in the near future, but that is another post all together.)
The voice mail says the following, and a kid you not. "Hello, my name is so and so and I'm the principal at said high school. If you are inquiring about a position you really need to call human resources. They handle the whole process from beginning to end and make all hiring decisions."
Talk about running in a hamster wheel! I swear didn't I just get the opposite response from Human Resources? Does one not know what the other is doing? Is it laziness on the part of either the district office or the school hiring staff? Why oh why does hiring have to be so complicated? It seems to me, you find the right person for the job, one that matches the workplace personalities, and you hire them. Pay them to do a job that suits their skills. I don't get it. Can someone please explain it to me? Why must I get this run around.
That is all. I just had to get that out. End of story.
Since when do I have time to update three times a day?
In other news...
Job Search Update
1. The first was at the FRASER SCHOOL for an infant room assistant teacher position. I'm excited about this one because it's full time and I would be a full employee of the school. I love the mission of this school. It's a full inclusion school and was founded by ONE woman with a special needs child wondering about the best environment to educate her child 60 years ago, before all of the research was done about children with special needs. The founder of this school was truly an innovator in the field, and it would be really neat to have a connection with this school from a career development perspective. I think I passed the section about infants too, as I didn't say any of the phrases in my previous posts. Awkward moments still abounded in this interview, because at the end of the question and answer period, the interviewers (two middle-aged women) asked me to read BROWN BEAR BROWN BEAR WHAT DO YOU SEE to them, aloud. They began acting like preschoolers, and I assume this was to gauge my reactions to the possible behaviors. Except, I wasn't just alone with the interviewers. I was in an office, with other people working in cubicles all around me. So here I am, making verbal commands to "keep your hands in your lap" and "keep your eyes on me" and walking around using PROXIMITY to control the behaviors of these middle-aged preschoolers with other folks watching. It was probably one of my most awkward interview moments I've ever had. But it was a second interview, so by then I should HOPE they already saw something they liked in my application materials and other questions. If not...I'll write it off as an experience (and material for future writings) and call it done.
2. Today, I had an interview at WAY TO GROW, for a family educator position. They wanted someone with literacy teaching experience in early childhood to serve as a school-readiness teacher in homes. They wanted someone with home visit experience. I talked about my experience as a tutor with Project for Pride in Living, I talked about my AmeriCorps experience, as well as my PCA experience with the Student Experience. I gave them what I had. I talked about my career goals, and they asked how long I planned on staying in a position if offered one. I said "as long as it took to build a solid relationship and finish what I've started." She laughed, and I finished with 5 to 10 years. What else was I supposed to say? It is a part-time job. I have no idea what I want to do with my life and skills. I talked a lot about professional development and how I am working to build the skills necessary to fit my employer's expectations. I talked about how dedicated to the mission I was. She finished with a question and answer session, and I asked some good questions, and she finished with a lecture about the next steps in the process, and I hope I am contacted for a second interview in the next two weeks. Or I will be calling back. All of these exciting opportunities lie at my finger tips.
3. In about an hour I have an interview for another part-time reading and writing tutor position with THE CITY, INC. I have no idea how their program works, but I know I do have tutoring experience. That much, I can tell them. I will update with further news as time goes on.
4. On Thursday (tomorrow) of this week, I will have an interview with THE WILDER FOUNDATION for a survey interviewer position in the St. Paul Public Schools. It runs September-December and I would be conducting assessments with students. It's definitely applicable for future reading teacher positions in schools, and would be valuable experience to have for future work.
That's all I have for now. Stay tuned for more at a later date...just getting it out there.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
My newest response....
"Well, if faced with a floor full of babies, I would...dance a jig and hope for the best? Talk about Sesame Street and how awesome it is to be able to talk?"
OR
"Well, what do you want me to do with a floor full of babies? Quote Shakespeare?" Discuss Homer and the Odyssey? You can never teach them too early!"
OR, one last shot in the dark here:
"Your Baby Can Read. That's what we would be doing. Your Baby Can Read, Theory Hegemonic decline, classic lit--you know, the usual."
Because everyone knows I'M THAT AWESOME.
This is, and always will be, my single girl's ode to being single
I somehow related a little bit with this one today...
Don't know where this came from? Only the Sunday Secrets of PostSecret. Yes, I have also known kids to be more respectful than a lot of adults out in the world. Not a sweeping generalization by any means, but overall, that's probably why I choose to work with kids over many adults I know. That's all.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
More evidence to the fact that when I'm unemployed on Labor Day, I make things
INGREDIENTS
* 3 eggs
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup grated zucchini
* 2 bananas, mashed
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* add to recipe box Add to Recipe Box
My folders:
* add to shopping list Add to Shopping List
* Customize Recipe
* add a personal note Add a Personal Note
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch bread loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cranberries and nuts. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.
Job Search Update
2. Phone interview with Fraser School people for PCA positions went well, though it was only a screening interview lasting 20 minutes. Pretty sure they just wanted to make sure I had valid experience and wasn't crazy. I hope I hear from their next point person in HR next week, or I will be calling very soon.
3. Never heard back from the infant room at the St. Paul Jewish Community Center, and I'm not sure I will. I didn't have a great interview, and the director was looking for someone with more infant experience. Pretty sure I bombed the question where she asked me what I would do with a group of infants at floor time. I have to do something with them? Not just lay them on their tummies and roll a ball back and forth? Oops. Moving on.
4. Upcoming: Thursday interview at Bright Horizons, back up day care center in Woodbury. Not sure what they are looking for. I suppose I will find out. I can do anything, because I have mad skills! I can teach infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, kinders, and beyond. Yes I can.
5. Also, I'm getting really antsy that I have not heard from any of the school district positions I have applied for yet. I know they have a lot of applications to weed through, and I know it's a slow process, but it still makes me nervous. I applied three weeks ago, and I am qualified here, people! I can do this! Just give me a change to prove my stuff. Enough said.
6. I feel like there are more positions off the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits website that I've applied for, I just don't feel like listing at the moment. I shall update them at a later date. Job searching is a full-time job, and I'm exhausted. Good thing tomorrow is Labor Day. It's one more day I can't call to follow up on any of my leads! Oh joy!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I should be sleeping, but I'm applying for jobs
1. Explain your reasons for applying to serve in Minnesota Reading Corps. Why do you want to commit the next year of your life to this program?
I just did, now I have to make it sound good.
2. Describe your experience working with children, particularly any experience you have that is related to literacy.
How much do you want? I can figure out how to word 10 years in a paragraph, right?
3. Describe how you have reached out to help others and / or how you have been involved in your community. What motivated you to become involved in your community?
Only the story of my life here...what should I say? I love this stuff. Do you think that's good enough? :)