Diary of a Wom'n

Over the past few weeks, that’s how I’ve been described by 3 different people; Dj, Mo, and Kei - cool. Several years ago, I used to be considered “pure”. Now that has been replaced. When Dj went on about what he likes about me, he said I was cool “as a girl and a woman”. When Mo was trying to analyze me about how I’m not anal about my friends calling me right away or not often enough or….and that I don’t assume anything or jump to conclusions…., he said I was really cool and that he wants to be cool just like me. When Kei was telling me what she did over the March Break including some things I shouldn’t know about, her friend asks her, “Why are you telling the teacher that?” to which Kei responds, “So? Ms. G is cool.” Awww.

I like that this is how people see me. I have been making an effort to be cool and easy going, not high-maintenance or uptight. Even though sometimes in my mind, I can be very very uptight and anal about certain things. But nobody needs to know about that part!

Candee called me on the weekend to get advice about job hunting for teaching jobs. She is in her last few months of teacher’s college at Queens and will be graduating in June. I think her division is in P/J. She really want to start teaching right away but unfortunately, she didn’t apply to the TDSB hiring pool around January. She feels she missed her opportunity to be on the ETH/supply list for this year. I’m afraid she’s right but I didn’t discourage her about it.

Talking to her brought back memories and the feelings of anxiety of when I was in her position; about to graduate, REPEATEDLY being told about the dismal job prospect as if it’s a new national anthem, going through a state of total defeat and hopelessness, applying to vacancies all over the board and in other boards in vain, attending interviews without any results….. better to forget those times! In retrospect, I’m so relieved about the position I’m in right now where I have a permanent position, I’m settled and I don’t have that stress of job hunting. I have other stress at work but it’s not as bad as the stress of not having a permanent job I think.

GW