About 5 1/2 years ago now, I applied for a consultant position with our Board. I didn’t get the job, and at the time, I was heartbroken. This was a position that I really wanted connected to a topic that I was passionate about. I still remember when I got the phone call from the principal telling me that I was not the successful candidate. I tried hard to hold it together, and then, I cried. But I also listened to her advice. It was thanks to this principal that I expanded my teaching experience into the junior grades, and I think gained an even better understanding of both students and curriculum. And then, I made a decision to stay in the classroom.

I applied to other teaching jobs after that. I changed schools twice, and I changed grades four times … but I did not apply to a system position again. I’ve seen positions come up multiple times since my unsuccessful experience, and I’ll admit that I considered different ones. I’ve prepared some resumes, and even experimented with different cover letters, but in the end, I decided that I was happiest in the classroom.

Then May of this year came around, and late one evening, I happened to check the job postings on our Board website. It was then that I saw a posting for the Camp Power Summer Curriculum And Site Support Teacher. Camp Power is a Ministry-funded summer program run by our Board, and it’s intrigued me for years. For the past 21 years though, I’ve taught at the same summer program every July, and with some overlapping dates, working at Camp Power was never a possibility. But this year, the other summer program isn’t running, and now I could apply to Camp Power. I was conflicted though.

• This posting was not for a teaching position.
• This would be the first leadership role I applied to since the last one that I didn’t get. I was scared of facing disappointment again.
• The applications were also due in just a few days, and I was battling a terrible cold. Did I have it in me to apply?

I decided to take a chance. I worried that if I didn’t, I would always wonder about what might have been. And so, with some trepidation, I stayed up late, finalized my resume and cover letter, and emailed in my application. After that, I waited … it was not easy to do!

When you really want a certain email to come, and every other one seems to come but that one … #remainingoptimistic

— Aviva Dunsiger (@avivaloca) May 18, 2017

This story though has a happy ending for me. I did get an interview, and I got one of the two positions. I was thrilled!

I’ve learned a lot of new things this summer around …

• scheduling,
• time-tabling,
• budget,
• ordering,
• collaboration,
• staffing,
• coaching,
• assessment,

… and staff training just began today. This will be a very different summer for me. For 21 summers and 16 years with the Board, I have always been a classroom educator, and now I’m supporting others as they prepare to run their classroom programs. 

• I’m delivering professional development.
• I’m coaching.
• I’m trouble-shooting and problem solving.

And I’m seeing education through a different lens. This is an exciting change … and a scary one. I think that I’ll be learning a lot over these 17 days. Sometimes we all need to do something that scares us. What are you doing?

Aviva