June 21, 1999

Okay, so I'm looking at the employment section of the newspaper yesterday when what do I find? An ad for a new charter school... a CYBERschool. I have had an interest in charter schools since I first read about them in college. They intrigue me because they are not enslaved to a school district, they are their own entity. And I suppose that could be both good and bad. Good because all of the decisions are made locally, instead of in some building of closed doors where teachers have no say. Good because they are typically neighborhood schools, ergo no bussing issues. Good because they tend to be better taken care of and have better facilities because they serve a smaller population... etc. Bad because... well... I guess because they take money away from public schools. I'm not going to get into the how and why, but they do.

Anyway, I happened upon this ad. They are only hiring 2 teachers for the upcoming school year. They are breaking ground on the facility in fall, so the school isn't even built yet. The school will be fully functional in fall of 2000. Central City Cyberschool will serve 400 children, in grades 1-8. Teachers will team teach at a combined grade level (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8), with each teacher on the team specializing in either Reading/Language arts or Math/Science. Each student and teacher will be issued a laptop for school use. The school will serve, specifically, Parklawn Village, a low-income housing project.

That last part may sound bad (and, in all honesty, it's in a not-so-great part of town), but this is what I've been wanting. Working in the suburbs sucked. I hated how snotty the kids were, and the parents were worse. Last year was good. I enjoy my building and my cohorts, and yet I still am longing for more.

So I've applied for the position. I haven't told my principal, and I'm not planning to until I know something for sure. I received a friendly, encouraging response from my letter of interest, I've submitted my resume and application and am eagerly awaiting a response.

Okie dokie, artichokie. Dinner calls.

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