Foot Officially in Door

I know there is a contingent of folks who have known me for a while and know I used to be gainfully employed as a teacher. And I know many of those said folks know I'm not teaching anymore and are secretly wondering, "What the hell has she been doing for the past year and a half?" It's a valid question, and I am not offended (well, not that much). But I think it is time that I set the record straight about me and my time. I am about to erase those visions of Emily lounging with pup, Josie, on the couch, eating bon bons (whatever those are), watching Oprah.

I have spent the last year and half creating an interactive children's guide book to D.C. museums. I'll admit, it took approximately 14 months to figure out how to do that and how to keep myself at my desk, producing pages... and then I really got on with it and created what I think is a pretty super book (or at least enough of a book to submit to a publisher).

So, back in November, I submitted my book and my proposal to a publisher. And, lo and behold, they liked it and actually want to publish it. Alas, there have been a few set backs. First, finding the money in the publisher's budget to produce the book is taking time. And then, my editor, Caroline, died very unexpectedly in December. This was a devastating loss to the publishing house, and to me--I had become quite fond of Caroline. Understandably, things are on hold with the book for the time being. But I am hopeful that things will start happening again soon.
That's where that stands... and now, I am not doing much with the book.

So, I've had a lot of time on my hands since December. You may know how it is when you have a lot of time on your hands. For some reason, at least for me, it seems the more time I have, the less I get done. I was quickly becoming a slug--a fat, mushy, lazy slug (fat and mushy in the brain, more so than the body, thankfully). So I decided it was time to get a job--part-time so that when the book project picks up, I'll still have time to work on it.

I looked in to DC Public Schools. I even spent 2 hours filling out their application (no wonder they don't have enough teachers--who can stand a 12 page application?!). I checked out some private and charter schools for part-time gigs. My stars were aligned, apparently, because I was offered a part-time teaching position at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History a few days after I had decided to start job-hunting.

Now, the Smithsonian is not the kind of place that eagerly hands out jobs... I know, I've been volunteering there once a week for a year and a half. So, to actually break through the volunteer ceiling and be offered a real, paying job is a feat and a half!

I started my new job yesterday. I am the Discovery Room teacher. I get to be the crazy museum chick that teaches lessons to the student field trip groups that visit each day. Is this perfect for me, or what? Yesterday I met with a few first grade groups; today was third grade; tomorrow will be more first graders. There are about eight lessons available for the school groups, all related to the museum collections and exhibits. It's a pretty sweet set up and I am rather excited that I officially got my foot in the door at the Smithsonian. And, man, I can't tell you how great it feels to be teaching again... it's like a breath of fresh air. All this, with no homework to grade at night. Things are looking good.

My new "school"... the National Museum of Natural History.