My Dream Job Revisited

I thought before going into student teaching I would prefer high school over elementary. Now, I feel the opposite about the two. My dream job would most likely be teaching elementary students in a suburban area. I don't know where yet, but I don't feel ready to leave the Midwest. I like the atmosphere and the people of the Midwest. Not to say that I would never leave, but I'm not in a big hurry to leave my home yet.
Thinking about how I've changed my mind about liking different age groups, I've also thought about what it would be like to teach at a college. There is something that happens to students between elementary and secondary and secondary and college that I can't explain. There is a certain attitude and style about the arts that gets lost that really bothers me. "Working around" this is something that I never thought about, but now that I see this "change" I would prefer to not surround myself in it all day.
I've also been thinking about my work with kids with emotional and psychological needs that I've done for the last 4 years outside of my schooling. I'm somehow still compelled to these types of kids in my student teaching. I'm also considering going and getting my special education certification and working with those kids some more.
Obviously, I still have some work to do when it comes to figuring out what my dream job is, but that doesn't scare me. I'm looking forward to the future and what else I can learn and bring to others.

Commentary on guest speakers- something you learned & something you still would like more clarification on

When speaking with the mentor coordinator last week, I learned a lot information that I never even thought about before....some of which I still don't fully understand. When she discussed the 2 year retention rate for rehire, or something along those terms, I thought it was interesting to hear how important that sounded to her--I never thought of that as something that was important to me before.

One thing that I was wondering while there, but didn't ask had to do with getting other certifications and then getting hired to teach in that discipline. If a tenured teacher gets certified in another area, can they still be in the mentee program with a mentor from that new area of certification to get more familiarized with the field? Or do they just have to figure it out?

questions you want answered from employers

What is the general attitude of the staff and community for student success?

What kind of financial support is available for resources for students?

Is there any kind of advocacy for arts in the community?

How is the school able to help students get from high school to a college?

How is the current arts program viewed by the students and the community?

In what ways can I make the art program a better department?

Commentary on guest speakers- something you learned & something you still would like more clarification on

Hearing from the authors of our book was a really great experience. While I felt that I had heard some of what they had to say already, there was a lot of new information put out there as well. They both know a lot about what is going on in Iowa schools right now, and it was comforting to know that there are schools hiring right now with the bonus money schools received. It was also good to hear that there may be a lot of retirements coming up soon for this same reason, leaving more opportunities for myself.

I had heard about the International Job Fair from my cooperating teacher, but to get specifics from the authors about an international teaching job was really eye opening. This idea has sparked my curiosity, and I truly want to know what the possibilities are.

The authors really gave good advice on interview questions and how to address tough questions professionally. What I really want to know for the interview is what I should bring. I know there should be a portfolio (maybe an eportfolio will suffice), but do I need to have a standards portfolio too? Should I have one even though I don't have much teaching experience?