Introduction

Hello! My name is Jennifer Wilfong and I teach kindergarten at Mercer Elementary School in Western Pennsylvania. I have done blogs before, but they were always personal and did not necessarily pertain to my professional career. I am excited to connect with other teachers in this way to expand my own knowledge and share personal experiences about this wonderful and challenging career.

I graduated from Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania in the Spring of 2009 with a B.A. in Elementary Education and a minor in Performing Arts. I was eager and anxious to get into the eudcation field. I had heard how competitive the job search would be, but I never really knew until I experienced it for myself. I sent out nearly 100 applications to schools all over the country. I had interviews at several, but for most of them I didn't even receive the courtesy of a reply. When I began getting "rejection" letters stating that I was not chosen for the positions, I was devastated. May and June passed, and then July, and I had no idea where I was going to be once school started. I recevied a phone call in late July from the Mercer School District asking if I would be interested in an AmeriCorps position at the elementary school. I had no idea what that was, so I agreed to research it before I made a decision. 

After gaining more information on the position, I decided (rather reluctantly) to accept. It was not the full-time job I was hoping for, and the pay was not enough to support myself, but I knew that at least I would be working in a school every day. I would make myself known and I would prove that every school should want to hire me. I worked very hard during that year of service. I put in countless hours and devoted myself to the students that I was serving.

When Spring 2010 arrived, I learned that Mercer was hiring for 2 full-time elementary positions. I jumped at the opportunity, and I was lucky enough to make it through the interview process. (I believe mostly because of the experience that I had at the school.) I was elated! I could not believe that my dream of finally having a classroom of my own was coming true. I could go on and on about setting up my classroom and preparing for the school year, but I will save that for another time. I keep telling my mom that I should write a book about surviving the first year of teaching. It has been quite an interesting roller coaster ride...as I am sure many other teachers can relate.

I consider myself very blessed to be in this career and to have found a classroom to call home, especially at such a wonderful school district. I work with some amazing people who have taught me so much already, and I continue to learn from them each and every day.