I applied for.... a job!

I've been looking for jobs, and I haven't been terribly successful, hence the current unemployment. But now there are a lot of postings for education-related jobs coming up in the fall (i.e. August, which is not fall at all, but don't get me started). I've been looking through them but still haven't been impressed. There was a 3-hour per day job at an elementary school 4 miles away. And then there was an afterschool Colorguard instructor position just 2 miles further. I tried to apply for them, but the website wasn't exactly user friendly, so it didn't happen. And now the Colorguard position is filled, and I don't want to work half-time at an elementary school.
I'm working on a degree in Secondary education. I like teaching actual subjects, not "how to sit in a chair and hold a pencil."
So I finally found a job that sounds interesting, challenging, and totally doable. It's a teacher assistant job at an alternative high school in Orem. I'd be basically tutoring small groups of students in all sorts of areas.
Now back in 2005, I substituted a few days at Provo's alternative high school. I had to bite my lips to keep from crying because they were SO disrespectful and frustrating. I'd give them the assignment, hand out books, offer my help, and they would... not do what I said. But imagine it from their perspective: First of all, you have a problem with authority. Now bring in some goody-two-shoes little substitute teacher who starts bossing you around. If you don't do what she says, then what? Absolutely nothing. You might get a reprimand from the teacher when he gets back. Um... totally worth not doing the school work.
Plus it was an auto shop class, and they were doing busy work out of the books. I would have been sassy and rude too!
But when you get a steady class, or at least a routine, the students get to know you. And I've found that once I get to know students and show them respect (expecting respect back), thing work out pretty well. I know it will be hard, and I know it will stretch my patience. But I think this would do wonders for my experience. If I can do this, I can do anything!