Chapter 2: The First Interview

The sign next to the door said, “Mr. Eisenberg, School Administrator”. I stood resolutely in front of it, my heart pounding like a jackhammer and my knees felt so weak I could hardly stand up. His secretary had told me that he was waiting for me so this was it - make or break time. The mere fact he’d even agreed to see me was a positive sign. How much, if anything, had the previous administrator told him about me? So far as I knew, none of the other staff members had a clue as to the real reason I’d left. I’d told them it was a personal matter at home and they were polite enough to leave it at that, even if I could tell they were dying to know the details. Now here I was again, portfolio in hand. Taking a deep breath, I twisted the door knob and walked in like I owned the place.

Mr. Eisneberg was seated behind the old wooden desk - this wasn’t exactly a state-of-the art building, not with the miniscule budget they had to operate under. My first impression was he was a handsome, middle-age man, balding slightly at the sides although his hair was still dark. He seemed to be of average build, several inches taller than me even with heels my on as he stood up to greet me and shake my hand. His suit, while not expensive, was clean and hung on him well; off the rack, maybe Macy’s or JC Penney. His smile seemed to be genuine and I felt a little bit of my apprehension fade away as he offered me a seat in one of the chairs lined up in front of his desk.

As I sat down and crossed my legs, Mr. Eisenberg’s eyes seemed to give me the once-over. As befitting for this type of school, I was dressed quite conservatively, my skirt coming just below my knees but still allowing just a bit of thigh to show when I crossed my legs. I had on an opaque white blouse with a floral vest that was left unbuttoned. Underneath, I was even wearing a matching white bra and white nylon panties, so that should give you some idea how seriously I was taking this interview! I made sure to tug on my skirt just a little to keep it from riding up too high- no need to make any wrong impressions. Schools like these prided themselves on their conservatism and even a hint of impropriety might be enough to lose the job.

At this point I had no idea what Mr. Eisenberg was all about and the last thing I needed was for him to think me some type of slut. The school was EXTREMELY conservative and when I’d taught here I had to buy pretty much an entire new wardrobe! His eyes didn’t seem to linger too long at any point so there was nothing to make of it, at least not at this point.

The interview was pretty standard - a review of my college transcripts, board credentials, and home life. Being a private Christian school, I was asked a number of questions no public school would have dared to ask - my testimony regarding my faith in God, my opinions on several political hot button issues such as abortion, and my present marital status - and intentions. He then touched on my resignation and why I was returning. Mr. Eisenberg seemed to accept my vague responses and unspoken plea for privacy, so long as it didn’t affect my credibility with regards to teaching at the school.

The entire interview lasted about an hour after which he shook my hand and said he would get back to me. Typical closing words - don’t call us, we’ll call you. All in all, it was a completely standard interview, nothing much to write home about. Actually, that in itself was encouraging. I knew the school was desperate to hire someone and that applicants with my credentials were scarce, at least when it came to accepting what they had to offer. Unless something came up unexpectedly, I couldn’t see how he could afford to pass on me.