Boycats: Personal Archives

June 13, 2006

Next step: Packing

I would feel badly about not posting frequently, but then I read an article this morning about how posting too often actually turns people off, and for good reason: most of the postings turn into blog clutter. I’m going for the Gauss model — few but ripe.

Anyway, I’m pleased to report that I’ve found an apartment in Brooklyn, and it’s awesome. Here’s a map of its location, in case anyone wants to come visit (hint, hint). I’m relieved to have this part out of the way, of course, and now begins the ardous process of packing. *sigh*

It’s a large apartment, plenty of room for me and the boycats, plus room for guests should there be any. The commute to Poly is about an hour, taking into account the 20 minute walk to the train station. Biking might be another option, and I’m looking forward either way to incorporating some excercise into my daily routine. It’s not quite as convenient to Manhattan as I’d like, but that may or may not end up being much of an issue.

Posted by alex at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2006

Boston Blues

Tomorrow I return home from a weekend in Boston, looking for and interviewing for jobs. I’m staying at the McToote’s (Mark McEwen and Linda Toote, plus their twins Henry and Claire), and they have been all four of them delightful. I’ve never seen two eight year olds as bright, articulate, happy, and engaged as Claire and Henry, and seeing the two of them play together is a joy. They interact, they share, they are thoughtful and respectful of each other’s feelings, they horse around and run and scream, but for the most part they are very well behaved indeed. Mark and Linda have done an amazing job with them, and I am both envious of their family and concerned that I will be unable to do as well with my own someday.

The job search accelerated considerably, catalyzed by the NAIS conference which I attended on Friday. I should have come better prepared, to be honest, and I should have been in better contact with Carney Sandoe, the educational placement service with whom I’m working. If they had known I was going to be at the conference, they would have set up interviews for me ahead of time. As it was, I managed to round up a few on my own, and they have both paid off: the Head of School at Lake Forest Academy called me Saturday morning (I have to call him back) and Poly Prep in Brooklyn has invited me to come and visit them, spend a day meeting people and teaching a class or two, and generally getting to know their school. So that, at least, is encouraging.

My visit to Buckingham Browne & Nichols, on the other hand, brought less encouragement. I met with Mark Fidler, math department chair, for half-an-hour, and then another half-hour with Jack Knapp, who is the Head of the Upper School, and former Head of the Upper School at USM when I was there. Anyway, they were both very nice to me and treated me very decently, but the abiding message was that, while my education and background are unimpeachable, my teaching experience doesn’t include enough (or really, any) time spent teaching in a posh private school. Criso Rey doesn’t count because, although it is an independent school (not really, I guess, seeing as how it’s a Jesuit school), it serves a completely different community: inner-city Latino kids of limited economic means from Chicago rather than extremely priviledged children of highly-educated, wealthy Cambridge parents.

I don’t mean to sound bitter or cynical in that description; having attended USM and taught at Cristo Rey, I know that difference is real, and I can understand why they’re looking for someone who’s had experience in a high-end independent institution. In particular, Mark made a point of saying he’s looking for someone who will require a minimum of adjustment, and he said that while he’s sure I could be an excellent fit, he’s just not sure the transition would be smooth.

I understand where he’s coming from, but it leaves me a bit dejected. I believe my experience is pretty strong, my background even stronger, and I’m sure I could be a valuable contributor to any number of educational institutions, including this one. It doesn’t look likely to work out at BB&N, though. Here’s hoping I have better luck elsewhere—Trinity school in NY, maybe? Poly Prep? The Browining School? We’ll see….

Posted by alex at 07:21 PM | Comments (1)

October 20, 2005

Johanna broke up with me

It happened yesterday, although I guess she’s been thinking about it for a while. She said that it was just too hard for her to be in France and yet have an emotional tie back to the States, that our relationship made her feel obligated and pressured to think about me and our future, at a time when she had more immediate obligations and pressures making demands on her time, energy, and focus.

There’s both too much to say and nothing to say at all. I’m feeling crushed, absolutely crushed.

Posted by alex at 07:14 AM | Comments (0)