the fair

I tried attending the CPS career fair today. The CPS career fairs are huge - about 2000-3000 teachers attend, and 100+ schools have small tables set up, where they "interview" candidates on the spot for job openings. Some schools have lines of 30 or 40 people, who wait an hour or so for a 5-minute interview. It's crowded and huge and overwhelming.

I suppose it works for some people, especially those who have more "special" skills, such as Special Ed, Bilingual, etc. But it is not a situation where I can really shine. With so many people, I become so overwhelmed and full of self-doubt. My first thought on walking into that room was "why would anyone hire me?"

Honestly, I'd really rather be a sub next year, than go through a career fair again. I suppose it is partially my own fault, that due to the fact that I'm limited to public transit, there are quite a few schools I can't apply to. The schools that I can get to are, of course, among the ones everyone wants to work at. And most of those schools that I can get to, were not even at the fair at all.

I think I'm going to try to visit a lot of schools in the next few weeks, and see if I can get the opportunity to meet a few principals that way.