Those words you never want to hear.

Hearing "no" is never easy, is it?

I am not the type to announce things like job interviews or other things that are not definite. This time around, I wanted to tell people because I wanted the advice and the prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the people on my side praying for good news.

I wish I had good news to give you, but I don't.

:(

Today I found out that I did not get the job I interviewed for on Monday. To say I am heartbroken is an understatement. I am afraid I am in for a round of heartbreak though as I continue to interview for elementary positions. This process has reinforced that searching for the perfect teaching job is truly not easy and I may have a very long road ahead of me.

After asking the principal what I could have done better, she said to articulate more examples with my answers to the questions.

I have to admit, I found the panel interview to be odd. It did not feel like a conversation. It felt like me just talking and them writing. It did not feel personal at all. So, after this experience I will be thinking about what I can do better (including more examples!) and trying to create a conversation type atmosphere. A part of me kind of hates myself for typing that though, because by the end of the interview on Monday I had them all laughing and seemingly enjoying themselves. So, clearly my need for a more personal atmosphere is seeping through the intense formalities.

Anyway, I just wanted to get on here and thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. They meant the world to me and I really needed that encouragement. Thank you.

Student teaching update + Winner announced!

Ay yi yi! It's already the end of Tuesday! Holy buckets. Everyone said student teaching would fly by, and I have to admit, I doubted them. Really doubted them. But, they were RIGHT. This is my fourth week of student teaching and that hardly seems possible! I absolutely adore the school I am at, and I know I will miss it terribly when I head to my second placement in four weeks.

I love it so much, I had to control my cheesy grin and urge to hug the principal when she offered me a chance to interview for one of the two fifth grade positions that will be open next year! She asked me if I was interested on Thursday and on Monday (yesterday) I interviewed. My very first, full blown teaching interview! Boy, oh boy, was it intense. I am still coming off the intensity, but I honestly feel I did as well as I possibly could have. I should find out by the end of this week or early next week. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers! I feel so good in this school and I know it would be a great fit for me!

Switching gears a bit here, but I think I have a giveaway winner to announce! I'm sorry this is so late, but I put the number of the comments into random.org and #5 was drawn, which means..... Lisa is the winner!! Woo hooo! Congratulations, Lisa! I will get you your goodie bag out in the mail soon! :)

Thank you to everyone that entered and has stuck around! If you're not already, please find me on Twitter and Instagram! My username is IowaAmber.

Hope you're having a great week!

Update + a GIVEAWAY!

Hellooooo! How are you? Life as a student teacher is flying by and I cannot believe that two weeks are already over and done with it. I am loving every second of it, and I just my class. I am so lucky that I have a wide range of ability levels and differences in this class, as it is giving me some great experience!

I thought I would update you all once again, but it will be in easy to read bullet form! :)

• This past weekend was a busy one with Bacon Fest, a Skype date with Jane Porter, lunch with a friend in town and .... me falling ill with a nasty sore throat/cold. 
• Bacon Fest was ... interesting. I can't say I will be jumping to go again next year, but I am glad I experienced it once. A lot of the bacon was really good (even if it did need to be cooked more) but the effects the next day were not so great. I am pretty sure I retained so much water I looked like a balloon. 
• Sunday afternoon about 8 friends and I gathered for a book club meeting and Skype date with the lovely Jane Porter! It was so fun to talk books and about her writing process with her. I am blown away at how nice and generous she is! We all read The Good Woman and we cannot wait to get going on The Good Daughter that just came out! 
• In 12 weeks I am running my second half marathon and third long distance race. As we speak I type this, my boyfriend is putting together a running plan for me. Should I be nervous? (I think so. He's gonna kick my butt).
• Saturday after Bacon Fest I decided to skip the Zumbathon I was supposed to participate in and opted to spend the rest of the day and night in bed nursing this cold. That seemed to do the trick, until Sunday when I decided drinking mimosas while chatting about books with my girlfriends would be a good idea. The champagne immediately went to my head and I feel icky the rest of the night. 
• After the book club chat I met up with Lesli for a lovely dinner out. It was good to see her! I cannot wait to see her again when I head up to Minneapolis for Jodi Picoult's signing and Lisa's going away party.
• Student teaching is going *amazingly* and I am loving it! I hope I can blog some stories soon, because, oy... do I have 'em! My little Nicki Minaj (which is what I call that little girl that asked me if I was NM) provides the best material to retell! She is a total hoot! 

I am signing off for now, but first, I would like to giveaway a copy of Jane Porter's first book in the Brennan Sister's trilogy. Comment below with your email address and you will be entered to win a signed copy of The Good Woman along with some other goodies! Giveaway ends Friday night at midnight and I will announce the winner sometime over the weekend! Good luck!