September 23, 2014

There has been so much that has happened since I blogged last, so I am not sure what I should cover :). At the end of April I got a call from my principal asking me if I would be interested in stepping into the the 5th grade Social Studies and Writing teacher. The current teacher had been having a lot of health issues the entire year and was taking a leave of absence for the rest of the school year. This teacher would also be retiring at the end of the school year so there was a possibility that I could continue as the regular teacher the next school year. I was really hesitant because the highest grade I had taught was 2nd and I would be stepping into a mess. The poor teacher had already been gone the past three weeks and it was the final nine weeks. Jeremy was one of the other 5th grade teachers and he convinced me that I could do it and he would be able to help me figure it all out. So I got this call on a Thursday and on Monday I did staffing and Tuesday started in 5th grade. To my surprise I actually really loved it. I was warned that the students would try to "walk all over me", but I put my years of classroom management together and the kids were very well behaved for me and they actually enjoyed coming to my class. After working through the mounds of paperwork and graded papers and figuring out which lesson I was supposed to be teaching, I figured that this might actually work out for me! Then, things started to get really hard balancing the needs of my classroom and my family. My school did not dismiss until 4;00 and the kid's school dismissed at 3:30 so they had to go to after-school until around 5:00. My school was across town so I would have to leave right away and not being able to get things together for school resulting in me taking so much work home every night. By the time I got the kids, got their homework done, supper, and bed I would be beat, but still have tons of stuff to do for my class. Two weeks back in the classroom and it was starting to get rough on me and my family. I had been back in the classroom three weeks and I woke up at 2;00 one morning with  extreme pain in my legs. I rarely cry because of pain, but this was so bad I was sobbing and I could not even stand up. My legs were in a permanent cramp. Being on my feet all day and going up and down three flights of stairs (5th grade is on the 3rd floor) several times a day started to take a toll on me physically. Several people kept telling me to sit down during the day, but that's not an option for me when I am teaching :). This is the time Jeremy and I started rethinking me going back full time in the classroom. The next week Jeremy found out that he had been accepted into the principal leadership program and that his new salary would be increased to the same amount I had been making the last two years in my part time position. Then Emma got sick with some kind of virus and I felt like I let it go because we were both working. I tried to doctor her at home and it was evident after a few days that she should have been taken to the doctor days ago. I took off early one day (Emma ended up coming to school with me and hung out in my classroom) and finally took her to the doctor. She needed a breathing treatment and an inhaler and I felt like a terrible mom because I know that if I hadn't been teaching I would not have waited so long :(. Our discussion about me staying home continued. About five weeks into teaching Emma started tearing up every morning before school but would never tell me what was wrong. Chloe's behavior reached a new level of disrespect. Samuel became withdrawn and quiet. One morning Jeremy had an early meeting so I was the one dropping the kids off at school. I pulled up to the school and Emma broke down sobbing. I asked her to please tell me what was wrong and her answer broke me down too, "I miss you mommy!"

      So, the next morning Jeremy and I met with our principal and told him that I would be declining the opportunity to teach 5th grade next year. I knew that this was a huge opportunity that would probably not come again. I also knew that my part time position in preschool would not be available next year, so I would be leaving the school that I have loved working at the past two years. The principal wanted to make sure I wasn't making a hasty decision, but I knew that I could not justify working full time when I didn't need to. It does mean that we are stuck in this apartment one more year, but it really is the best situation for our family and I am thankful that this has worked out this way. We are on week four of me officially staying home and it's been a mixture of feelings, but I know it has helped me be a better mom and wife, so I just need to work out the other issues. :)

       We had a great and busy summer. Jeremy was gone to Boston for his principal training so the kids and I stayed with my parents for the month of July. We were at their house for a few weeks and then we took a long trip out west. We went to OK to see my sister and her family. We all went to San Antonio and visited the Alamo and had a great time. We then went on to Fort Worth for the National Association of FWB. We then headed back to OK for a day and then headed to MO for a few days to visit with the Douglas' crew. We were gone a total of 12 days and I am thankful for God's protection and blessings from that trip.

       Well, I have a zillion other things to say, but I will try to spread them out over a few posts. I now so much more time to blog so I am going to try and do better.

Here are some picture highlights of our summer :)