A Tale of Two Interviews: Chapter 1

Chapter 1:
I arrived at Two Rivers Public Charter School promptly at 8:00 am. I spent about fifteen minutes loitering in the lobby as people began to arrive for the day. Parents and grandparents came in towing the younger children, many of whom were dressed in pajamas for pajama day. Older students played a game of tag out on the pavement, darting and diving just out of reach of traffic. Kids of all ages filtered in the blue tinted glass entryway, quietly bantering about their lives outside of school. The mood was calm, pleasant, good.
Eventually the vice-principal emerged to officially welcome the students in for the day. Hands hugged and high-fived as the energy increased and the flow of people increased to a flood. Soon the principal also appeared with my schedule for the day on a sticky note. She showed me to her office to drop off my things and, after a brief orientation tour, set me loose. The "interview" was as follows:
8:30 - 9:00 - Observe Morning Meeting in a fifth grade classroom. The kids were quiet and composed, obviously following the teacher's tone. She has been their teacher for almost two years. It was clear that they all understood the route and expectations and each other profoundly. But they were normal. Several came in late. Some were sullen and withdrawn. There was some chatting and pushing of limits. I was relieved.
9:00 - 9:30 - Interview with Instructional Leader and Special Education Coordinator. They asked tough questions, none of which I felt as if I answered adequately, even though I was aware that there are no known right answers.
9:30 - 10:30 - Writing prompt. I had 60 minutes to design a 12 week ecology expedition that involved a service learning component. I lost track of time, so I didn't leave time to proof read. The hour passed in a heartbeat.
10:30 - 11:00 - Observe in the other fifth grade classroom. This room was totally my style. Students were working around the room, creating detail webs on large pieces of newsprint, on floors and carpets and other surfaces, engaged in quiet conversation. The room was busy but focused.
11:00 - 12:00 - Teach. My lesson went well. I got through the entire thing. The kids seemed engaged. Everyone wrote something. They all used metaphors. The adults observing me smiled and laughed. The students did the same. There were no disasters. My heart did not race, my palms did not sweat, I did not choke. Whew.
12:00 - 12:30 - Lunch. I sat in the teacher's room to see if I could meet other staff. The folks who came through were older and younger, blackwhiteasianlatino, men and women, all polite and gregarious and seemingly compatible, at least on the surface. I was struck by how incompatible I have felt with people at my current work place.
12:30 - 1:00 - Interview with the other Instructional Coach. She is a current third grade teacher, moving into the coaching position next year. She was lively, talkative, intelligent, candid. She talked about the difficulties of "trying to do it all." The tough conversations that are occurring about how to remain committed to expeditionary learning and closing the achievement gap. "It's not perfect here," she confessed. As things never are. But it's a good place to struggle. Failure, and learning from failure, is expected. I nearly swooned.
1:00 - 2:00 - Wrap up with principal and vice principal. Not too many more questions. Some reflections. I was not sure how to communicate my love for this place without sounding desperate.
As the principal walked me out, she said that there is only one position available and that I am "the only one this far in the process." Message: it may take us a while to get back to you. But I am willing to wait. The question is, what can I do in the meantime to seal this fate. And how do I not set myself up for disappointment.