Finding a job for me: the first scheduled application

I have found myself yet to complete an application. For me, sending applications without personalising them is a waste of time. Yet to personalise them takes time; more time than I have in an average evening. This evening, though, I managed to give the few hours necessary to research my first school: an excellent British school in Asia.

Part of the personalising process allows me to study the school more than I would do if I was speculating applications. It also allows me to find out other information from forum boards, FB and the rest. I take all of it with a pinch of salt. What is especially sea-faring is finding out that many students do not have English as their first language. I wonder what that might be like, to teach?

All such speculations melt into the background feeling that they are no longer the prime reasons for doing what I am doing. I feel that this term has been the best term of teaching I have done so far in my career. I wonder how much invigorated I have been from the possibility of some excitement, again?

If I was someone reading this, I would want to know the following. I have missed two applications that I thought I might want to apply for. I missed them because I scheduled them into my calendar, but clearly did not want to apply to them enough. By allocating a time, and missing that time, I feel that I had given them consideration. They were not enough to grab my attention, and therefore they were not the jobs for me.

It is empowering to think that amidst the complaining and uncertainty of the profession, I can feel that.

Choosing to write applications

I am a fan of Stephen Covey. Along with Dale Carnegie, he is the proponent of 'common sense' literature. While at times a little twee (treat others as you would yourself be treated) he speaks of some empowering stuff, such as the ability to get things started.

First thing in the morning is not the time to think about the future. Tiredness and the need to eat make the desire to achieve more drift to the back of my priorities.

Scheduling priorities is Stephen Covey's main selling-point. Procrastination is a thief, if you want to achieve. What is often not said, though, is that without time to reflect, action might be less meaningful, or at least considered. But in the life of a professional, especially a teacher, there is not time to act on everything, let alone reflect on those actions, too. Therefore, Covey talks about 'scheduling your priorities' rather than just prioritising what is on your scale.

At times I think I should just like to complete everything on my to-do list, and then complete the things that I feel expand or improve me. Completing an application form (even if I have no firm intention of taking the post) should be done. But I have an observation and more waiting for me this week. I could cut out all else today to complete things to the degree I wish. Or not.

In the spirit of this, I write what I need to do on post-it notes, and scribble those out. I place these post-it notes on a mat roughly in line with C's principles. Largely these are: 'from meetings', 'do now', 'schedule later'.

This was a do-now :-)