When Plan A Fails (…and Plan B, and Plan C, and the Alphabet is Starting to Look Short)
If you read my last post, you know I didn’t exactly float into this season of life on a graceful breeze. It was more like being tossed out of a moving car, clutching a binder of lesson plans and my favorite Expo marker.
The first few weeks after my teaching job ended, I threw myself into job hunting with the kind of manic energy you normally see in people who’ve had too much cold brew. I was ready. I was going to land that perfect role. I was going to reinvent myself. I was going to… apparently apply for jobs I didn’t even want just so I could feel productive.
Cue: The Fail Parade (a.k.a. My Tour of Rejections).
Interview #1: Two days after finishing my 3rd grade teaching job, I found myself interviewing for… a 3rd grade position at the same school. Not the same classroom, but basically the same gig. (I know what you’re thinking — if they had your position open, why were you laid off? Good question! The short version: contracts, transfer requests, and so much district red tape it could gift-wrap the entire PTA auction basket. I was required to apply and interview again.)
So I did. I thought they loved me. I mean, I just did the job! I poured myself into it, I’m a team player, I work hard to improve… and then? Nope. Didn’t get it. Absolutely crushed.Interview #2: Different school, same district, another 3rd grade position. We were vibing! We were laughing! I thought, “Okay, maybe this is my second chance. Same district, new school — this could work.” Spoiler alert: it did not work. Another rejection.
Interview #3: New district, new school, same grade level. Weird vibes. Still, I answered the questions well, stayed personable, relatable, professional. And yet, it was another polite no thank you.
Interview #4: Same district as #3, new school, new grade level. Honestly? Great vibes, great interview, felt amazing walking out. I even thought, “This is it. This is the one.” Nope. Another rejection.
Interview #5: Back to the school from Interview #3 (because apparently I like pain). Different grade level this time, but again — great conversation, solid interview, even a flicker of hope. And yet again… denied.
And while I was on this merry-go-round of interviews, my inbox was overflowing with rejection emails. Some were from jobs I didn’t really want, but rejection still stings. One school district was especially good at rejection — Olympic medal level, honestly. They never let me miss a chance to feel unwanted. Every application I sent them was answered swiftly with a polite, soul-crushing “no.”
Other jobs looked promising at first, but then my applications would just stall in limbo until the inevitable rejection popped up weeks later.
By this point? I was SEVERELY humbled. My self-esteem had tanked. My self-worth was circling the drain. And I was starting to think my best career option was “professional blanket fort builder.”
But here’s the thing: messy doesn’t mean hopeless.
Because somewhere between the awkward interviews, the late-night Indeed spirals, and the days when I “worked from home” in pajama pants, I started creating little things just for me — a blog, a few Teachers Pay Teachers resources, the beginnings of a podcast. Tiny seeds I wasn’t sure would grow into anything.
And maybe that’s the point. We don’t always need a perfectly polished plan. Sometimes we just need to keep showing up, making the next small thing, even when our hair’s in a messy bun and our confidence is somewhere between “meh” and “pass the Oreos.”
The fails weren’t the end. They were the compost. And honestly? I think something pretty good is about to grow.
