Another Look Back

Well...I really should post more often. Here's a little taste of what has been going on. Nora had a fun birthday that we celebrated with an indoor picnic/potluck at Brian's practice. About a month later she was dedicated at church and we had another picnic/potluck, this time at the park, to celebrate.

Between Nora's birthday and her dedication, I had the opportunity to interview at Union College to be a part of the biology faculty. Even getting the interview was a complete long shot as the school really needs someone who already has a PhD. A fellow biology major from back in the day is now one of the professors and has advocated on my behalf so very nicely (probably the only reason I got the interview). While I have been able to do some cool stuff with "just" my Master's degree, I will admit to (gently) kicking myself for not just doing the PhD when I was in grad school. Anyways, the interview process was pretty brutal on top of my already busy schedule and short notice for preparing things like a research talk about research I finished 5 years ago and a lecture on a topic that I haven't taught on in over 3 years. Thankfully, my former research collaborator who is almost done with his PhD helped get me back up to speed on the research and a former teaching colleague passed along a great idea for me to use in the lecture. And, Brian was extra helpful and our daycare provider was understanding of the extra time the girls spent there and I rose to the occasion. My presentations were not perfect and the students asked me questions I could not answer, but that is the life of a teacher...always trying to get it better the next time around. I did achieve making a connection to the students and, I think, making an overall positive impression on everyone else. One highlight from the interview was at the end of the last meeting with all of the hiring committee, Dr. Abbey prayed the most beautiful prayer that I have heard in a long time asking for wisdom for where to go next. Perhaps that was particularly meangingful for me as I had him as a professor and he was the one retiring, allowing me the opportunity to even be there.

So, the outcome of all of this? Basically, I got some new clothes, including a rather expensive pair of beautiful black dress shoes. I forgot the shoes to go with my suit and was very thankful that there is a shoe store right across the street from Union who had one, and only one, pair of black dress shoes in my size. I guess those are the long term tangible outcomes, anyway. I did enjoy being back on Union's campus where Jorgensen Hall still smells the same and interacting with faculty and friendly, smiley students. No, I was not offered the job and right now they have someone temporary for next year while they continue to search for someone with a PhD (that's the last I've heard, anyway). The percentage of people with PhDs at Union is low for accreditation purposes, so I certainly would not want them to be in a precarious position with that. And, if I were to work on a PhD, the only realistic way to do that would be to teach part-time and go to school part-time. That would mean that the remaining biologists would be stretched too thin. And, that doesn't sound like a good idea, either. So, it sure is a good thing that I like, quite a lot, the job that I already have! I love the mixture of different ages and cultures of my students. I love that I get to be part of so many students' efforts to make their lives better. My coworkers are pretty great, too. They were my first friends when I came back to Lincoln and they are still some of the best. =)

Well, I got very diverted from celebrations, so I'll have to write a separate post for Ms. Nora. =)