Interview 2

Okay, interview #2 (and, technically, #3) took place today.  Number two was supposed to be tomorrow, but the school called and wanted to schedule it over the phone.  This was a first for me, but a good experience.  I realized that, when you are talking to people with the same goals, it is easy to talk and share while not worrying about having the "right" answers. In this case, our goal is the effective education of children as we prepare them to be lifelong learners and contributing citizens to this great nation.

Interview #3 was live and long.  Eight interviewers were there and each presented a series of questions, a few of which I was not prepared for.  That was okay because it made me think on my feet.  This was a district that I would like to work for and one that was moving in the right direction.  I was refreshing.  At the end, when it was my turn to ask questions, I think I surprised them with my questions.  The questions were geared towards finding out their perception of the district and to give me an idea if these were people I would want to work with.  Some of the questions included five year plans (which the principal was we'll prepared to answer), what the district motto meant to each member of team, and how the school was perceived by the community.  At the end, I was pleasantly surprised when I was thanked for asking probing questions that made them reflect on their own performance.  I was the last interview of the day and one member said that it was refreshing to end on this note.  

So, from my perspective, whether I am offered the positions or not, it is always refreshing to spend time in the company of other leaders, getting to share my own passion in response to their questions, and then to challenge them to reflect on their on practice.  That's what learning is all about, isn't it.

Now, I head out of town tomorrow to drop in on the phone interview school (see paragraph 1) and then it's on to a hotel several hours down the road in order to be rested for interview #4.  As I've said in previous posts, I know that God has a place for us and I am open to wherever it might be.