Summer and Job Offers

Before I left NY, I had another interview with the YI of Plainview for the youth director job. They didn't really ask many questions, and wanted to make sure the house was ok. So it sounded to me like they were ready to offer me the job. They said they would get back to me in 2 weeks. In the meantime, the kids were both set up in backyard camps in Baltimore - Ariella in Camp Smiley and Yaakov in Camp Giggles. I had free mornings to myself! And I was getting a lot of job offers considering I hadn't applied anywhere. HANC of Plainview, where we put down a deposit for Ariella, offered me 2 jobs - first a 4th grade Hebrew position, then a 6th grade General Studies. I decided that the work entailed in teaching an entirely new grade in a new school would be a lot, especially if it was only for a year, or two at the very most. HIR, who was also looking for a youth director, called me. But it seemed like a lot of work, plus it would mean moving back to Riverdale, probably to a small aparment, so we could be near HIR on Shabbos. Then a former SAR teacher who became a principal of a school in Teaneck called and offered me a first grade position. That was the most interesting proposition. We always joked that if aliyah didn't work out, we'd end up in Teaneck. Maybe it was worth it? I would get a foot in the door of a great school, and even though 1st grade is not my ideal grade, it would be a worthwhile investment. However, it would mean a serious lifestyle change. Donny would have to look for a new job, since commuting from NJ to LI would be only slightly better than, let's say, having to eat soggy, sticky Cheerios off your child's high chair for breakfast for the rest of your life. Also, it had the same problem as HANC - it's hard to invest in a school if you are only going to be there for a year. So we had to make a decision: "Teaneck with a job for Gila, or aliyah with a job for no one?" And (pleasant surprise!) we chose: "aliyah without a job for anyone" and I chose not to pursue the offer.