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It’s spring. There are about seven weeks left in the semester. I’m anxious. It’s time. Time to job hunt.

I can’t believe how quickly the past year and a half or so has led up to this point, but it’s here! While many principals at Chicago Public Schools are waiting to receive their 2013-2014 budgets in April and May, most private schools have started their teacher hiring season. While I would prefer to work for CPS—and have a union, preferably under the leadership of the great Karen Lewis ;)—I’m going to keep my options open for any opportunities at private schools in the city.

I’m coming up with a to-do list of things I need in order to be best prepared for interviews and applications, as well as signing up for a few teacher job fairs that are being held in April. Some of the things on my to-do list may be slightly more concrete than others. I’ll be tackling these over spring break next week:

• Reformatting my resume.

• Starting a hard copy portfolio specifically for teaching.

• Finishing applications to two job fairs.

• Starting/restarting ANOTHER blog (I know) that’s solely dedicated to teaching and showcasing my students’ artwork, as well as my own work, biography, and teaching philosophy to serve as an online portfolio.

• Making sure I’ve got the NAEA, Illinois, and applicable Common Core standards memorized. I almost do!

• Starting my next Teacher Artwork Sample for my high school student teaching experience. This will be a great addition to my teaching portfolio.

• Writing cover letters and statements of intent.

So, that’ll be my spring break this year. Knowing myself, I may not get to everything, but my main goal is to be productive. I’d love to squeeze in a new painting or two, as well. That might be ambitious… and for now not one of my main objectives. Anyway, wish me luck!