Spring Blizzard 2009

I remember saying how crazy Michigan's weather is.....but Colorado's is way more random. So after enjoying weeks of 60+ degree sunny days, a massive snowstorm hit Denver and the foothills last Thursday. It DUMPED snow for 3 days straight, accumulating yards of snow in the foothills and in the front range of the mountains.

Due to this, I decided to head up the mountains Thursday night so I wouldn't have to risk the freeway closing on the way to my interview. GOOD IDEA.

Friday morning I drove pass Vail to a little town called Minturn where my interview was (Minturn Middle School). Minturn is beautifully situated in a canyon along a river just south of Vail Ski Resort. There's tons of hiking trails and amazing fly fishing around the area.

The Interview:

This is Minturn

The panel consisted of an 8th grade math teacher and the principal which was much less intimidating than the interview I had last year at Moffat High School (principal, math department head, district math supervisor, assistant principal and another math teacher). My teaching philosophy and strategy corresponded with the district and school's goals (which usually happens) but I was drilled on my disciplinary strategies (which ALWAYS happens). I feel like I'm always labelled as one of the teachers that cannot control my classroom and this is always preceded by "you look so young, how do you ensure that kids respect you?" In this instance it was actually "you look like your 10." Which normally I would take with a grain of salt, but it's so frustrating having this label. Why do so many people attach "respect" with looking a certain age? It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. Like any other competent educator, students respect me because I'm a real person and the easiest way to combat disciplinary issues is by having an engaging lesson plan. If that doesn't work, then you have to address each issue individually based on the student and the incident. Why can't people just ask "What are your discipline strategies?"

This is the river that runs through Minturn

Anyway..... I toured the school with a 7th grader after the interview and returned to the Principal's office before heading to Vail to shred some of the fresh snow that was pounding Colorado. However, before I left, she said that this is a hard position to fill because they need a science and a math teacher (I'm qualified to teach math and French) but she referred me to the principal at Battle Mountain High School (in Vail).

Informal Interview:

I went up to Battle Mountain High School and spoke with the principal for a good half hour and he informed me that they need a freshman team math teacher (which is me), a part-time french teacher (which could also be me) and a cross country coach :) SCORE!!!

After speaking with him, I received a tour of the school and was introduced to ALL of the 9th grade teachers at the school (a little awkward and overwhelming - "Hi, I might be a teacher here next year???") I then sat down with the Athletic Director and talked about the coaching position for next year. As it turns out, he graduated from Grand Valley State University and was quite pleased to hear I competed for the school. So this whole situation sounds a little too good to be true, we'll have to wait and see what happens.

The weekend was welcomed with a disgustingly sick amount of snow - waist to chest deep powder on Saturday at Winter Park. What a way to go out of the season. Sunday it warmed up to around 50 but the mountain still kept the deep snow. PERFECT WEEKEND

Right now I'm really starting to up my triathlon training. Yesterday I timed myself in the pool and magically dropped another 20 seconds off my half-mile time after completing an uptempo run. Weather's supposed to be 70-80 degrees this week, so I can expect to find some good riding as well (once I fix the broken valve on my front tire).

I'm doing a 12k run (Chatfield Double Dip) this Sunday and doing the Motor City Olympic Distance on June 14th (Belle Isle Michigan). So be prepared to come and cheer me on!