Life with The Snyders: Liberty

Over the summer, I worked hard to get a job in Burke County.

I emailed every principal in the county.
Met with an assistant superintendent.
Followed up with everyone numerous times.
And stalked their job postings like a crazy person.

All of my emails and meetings were positive and everyone I talked to raved about my resume and really wanted to hire me, but there were no middle school math openings anywhere in the county, which is very unusual.

So, I pursued McDowell County because it was the closest (driving distance) and was immediately offered a job. Coming from the RDU area, a 30 minute commute is very common so I didn't think much about it.

I accepted the job, set up my classroom, and started the year. The school was great, my team was amazing, the administration was hands off giving me a ton of free time, and it was such a breath of fresh air to have well behaved kids. The commute wasn't fun and I felt like I was going on a trip everyday, juggling two different communities, but overall it was fine and I was content.

Then, I got an email from a principal at a middle school here in Morganton. He said he knew I had a job, but wondered if I might consider a mid-year switch. He had a 6th grade position opening up the first of the year that he thought I might be a good fit for.

I didn't even respond to him for several days because my initial response was, "No way am I switching mid-year to a new grade level. I've got it made here!"

Then I felt bad and unprofessional for ignoring him. I'm really bad at saying no so I responded letting him know I was happy where I was, but wondered if he would send me more information about the job.

When he responded, he let me know that one of his current 6th grade teachers would be leaving to accept a job with the state, but had not officially resigned yet. Since he had not resigned yet, they couldn't technically post the job or have interviews, but he wanted to reach out to me to see if I was interested.

I was so flattered and appreciative that he remembered me and reached out to me. I was not looking for a job, nor did I have my resume posted stating my availability. Out of respect and gratitude, I decided to at least have the conversation and go in for the interview. He could have easily posted it, interviewed those who applied, and hired someone else, not thinking twice about me.

The interview went well, but I left still not sure and not ready to walk away from McDowell. I told them to keep me posted on things. The other guy still had not resigned yet; he was waiting on some things to be finalized with his new job.

I continued at West McDowell, but kept feeling like my time there was going to be short. If you've read my blog for long, you know I hate change, but like before, I had a peace about it. I was still wrestling with the idea though.

My favorite part of teaching is building relationships with students. How could I just cut off my current students? Did I really want to start fresh with a whole new group?
I can teach 7th grade math with my eyes shut. Did I really want to switch grade levels and learn a whole new curriculum?
I definitely didn't want to move...again.
6th graders are always the babies of the school. 7th graders are not...and can be really obnoxious. Would I scare the 6th graders with my calloused 7th grade classroom management? Do I have the patience to deal with the 'babiness' of them?

At the same time, the commute would go from 30 minutes to 10 minutes.
A lot of our students from church go to school at Liberty.
What a great opportunity to partner with Stephen in ministry!
I really would be okay with not leaving Morganton everyday for work.

Stephen reminded me of what our pastor said often:
Do what you do well for the glory of God.
Do what you do well somewhere strategic for the mission of God.

If I put my selfish desires aside and think eternally about this, it just makes sense.

As I was processing through this, I got a call saying the job had been posted. Still not sure, I went ahead and applied. I could always turn it down.

Several more days passed and then I got a call. The principal explained the protocol was he had to leave the job posted for 5 days and would have to do some interviews of people who applied internally. He called on a Wednesday. The five day mark was Monday, but he said I was going to be their choice. He wanted to let me know so that if I was still interested, I could go ahead and being the process of letting my current principal know.

I was shocked and again so honored. The only way I can describe this whole process is peaceful. I just kind of rolled with the punches as they came, taking each next step.

It's weird being completely content with where you are, but also having a great opportunity offered to you. I wasn't super eager to leave or overly excited to start a new job, but at the same time had a feeling this is where God wanted me.

Going in and telling my principal was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I knew she would be understanding and supportive, but I'm not used to that from a principal. I've heard too many horror stories about people quitting mid-year. If you know me (or any Hemric for that matter), you know I get super splotchy (red marks everywhere) when I get nervous or embarrassed. So Monday I wore a shirt that pretty much covered everything, but I chickened out. I walked past my principal's office so many times, but just couldn't get the nerve up to go in. I hadn't technically been offered the job yet either so I justified my fear with that thought. Tuesday morning on the way to work, I got the call officially offering me the job and I accepted. So, I knew I had to do it. The closer it got to my planning, the more nervous I got. I could barely hold a conversation. As soon as I could, I went and talked to her. She was even more supportive and understanding than I could have imagined! I still got super splotchy...haha...but it was a huge sigh of relief to finally tell people.

So, I spent the last week of school before Christmas packing up my classroom (again). Stephen and some people from church came that Friday and helped me get all of my stuff to the new school. I wanted to use Christmas break (specifically the first part of break) getting everything switched over so I could still enjoy a break as well.

With Christmas break, teachers and administrators get out of there ASAP! Thankfully the building was open long enough for me to drop my stuff off that Friday. Then Monday was a work day for Burke County. So I went in and got the majority of my stuff organized and set up. If I had to, I could have gone in and taught the way it was. But, I was also able to get in today and finalize things so now I'm really ready for Monday, including copies made for the week ahead.

As if 2015 didn't have enough transition for us, why not end it with a bang?!

New job...new school...new grade.

Bring it, 2016!