This time last summer, I was huge and miserable. However, I was also anxiously anticipating a whole year staying at home with my children. God is so good and allowed Joey and I the financial freedom to allow me to take a year off work.
This summer, I'm no longer huge (but I'm by no means where I want to be) and I'm looking ahead to July 28th when I go back to work. Now, I know some people will think that I should continue staying home with my kids. It's funny, because I always thought I would want to be a stay-at-home mom until my kids went to school. Don't get me wrong, I have loved being home with them this year. But Tripp is definitely getting to the age that he needs to interact with other children on a daily basis. The hardest time I'm having is when it comes to Makinley. Anyone that has spent any length of time around Makinley knows what a PRECIOUS baby she is. There has never been an easier baby (and I'm not just saying that because she's mine) and she really makes being a mommy easy. So, I get a little pain in my chest every time I think about leaving her. However, financially, it's time for me to go back to work. Not only that, ever since we moved to Madison, I have kind of felt like I'm isolated on an island by myself. All of my friends here work so there is no one for me to hang out with (it's been better since the summer hit because my closest friend here is a teacher also, so I've hung out with her a lot). Plus, with it being such a small town, I feel like going back to work will give me the opportunity to really get plugged in and begin making Madison feel like home.
With all that being said, not only am I going back to work at a completely different school, in a completely different town, but I'll be teaching a completely different grade. I've taught 1st grade for 4 years. Now, I'll be teaching 4th grade Language Arts. I'm extremely nervous about this drastic change....but God has truly blessed me. For one, I'm getting the classroom of a teacher that is getting out of the field of education all together. SO, she is leaving me a TON of stuff. PLUS, my roomate from UGA, Katie, taught 4th grade for the last 5 years. The irony....she will be teaching 1st grade in the fall. :-) So, we are basically switching places! It is wonderful for both of us because we each have a sounding board for ideas and questions. We got together today and switched over materials. Now I have a ton of 4th grade stuff to go through and I stocked her up on Clifford and the Berenstein Bears! Although I am nervous about going back to work and about leaving my children (who will be with a wonderful woman who has kept kids in her home for almost 30 years), I really do have a peace that this is God's plan for our family at this time. I'm sure there will be plenty of tears shed but I pray God comforts me during the seperation (I'm not crazy enough to think that this is going to be harder on my children than me; they will both do great).
1 comment:
Wow. That is a big jump, but I know you can do it. I had been teaching third since we got out at UGA til this past year. THen I looped to fourth this past year. If you need any more help then let me know. I will be the gifted teacher this year so I know all about change.
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