I have been blogger-starved for months now. All summer, my future was so up in the air with what I was going to be doing this fall that I really didn't have much to say. So here is a reflection of my first nine weeks back to school...
I feel like I've been on somewhat of a roller coaster ride. Going from teaching junior high and high school to teaching 5th and 6th graders was much harder than I had anticipated. See, I've been teaching Jesus to 3rd - 6th graders in Awana and Sunday school for years, but I guess subordinating conjunctions are much harder to grasp than the gospel of Christ. Go figure. I knew I would struggle with finding out what they knew and what they could handle and still push and stretch them, too. Keep in mind that I have a daughter in each grade I teach, too. You'd think I'd had a little more of an advantage than most teachers. All my sixth graders have been stretched and stressed with three big writing assignments already, and they are learning how to produce well organized and well thought out papers. I am so excited about the growth I've seen in just the first three assignments. I am also so blessed to be able to draw from all my days of teaching Awana counciltime lessons and Sunday school lessons and use them when applicable thoughout my days. But, for the most part, my days are leveling out; my students are getting comfortable with me as I am with them, too.
Sure, there are days I want to pull my hair out because they are, well, they are elementary students. Ten, eleven and twelve year olds for the most part... but they are the sweetest blessings with the biggest hearts. My girls fit in so well; we are a good match with our schools both the elementary and Regan's high school, too. Rosalind wants to go to school every day... no breaks. Regan never wants to come home... until she can't and has to spend the night in the dorms. Then she realizes how much she needs her mama to help her decompress her day. And Rayne, well, Rayne is just happy no matter where she is. My girls are all going through really fun stages right now... good times.
I teach with some really awesome women... women of all ages. Some new faces and some old friends. A building full of women and not a snide comment or dirty glare anywhere. No tension or contempt. No gossip. These women are so good. They are just good. And that, my friend, is priceless. I know what you're thinking.... and you fit in? Yes, usually :)
Home life is different, way different, but it was going to change even without me teaching full-time because of Rodney's change in occupation, too. It's going very smoothly. We couldn't have asked for a better transition. We are both enjoying our work and staying connected emotionally via text, cell phone and our short evenings at home. Weekends have been busy with us girls cleaning house every Saturday from when I roll them out of bed (somewhere around 9-10am) to noon. We continue with laundry, and then we play or go and do. Rodney's Saturdays are usually much shorter work days than normal. On Sundays we cook and bake for the week, so we can start all over again. A wrench is thrown in when we are gone for a weekend or extremely busy with something or someone else. That makes for a very difficult week to follow... we're usually tired and hungry... thank goodness we own enough clothes so we're not naked, too! Well, almost. I've spent the first 9 weeks in basically the same three pairs of pants. I'd throw in a couple of skirts and a pair of capris occasionally to try and mix it up a little. Finally, Friday I'd had enough, so after school I dumped my kids off on friends and ran to the city and shopped for pants. Hallelujah, I found three pairs in Banana Republic, the very first store I went to. What a blessing. I almost wept. But that's my life these days... stock full of small blessings everyday. I couldn't ask for more. (maybe a get-a-way with my sweetie.... but that's coming this weekend!) Cannot wait!
