Work

Well, I'm back to work. Last week was my first week with students. The week before I had two teacher work days which were spent in trainings and meetings and two other days I went in to set up my room. Luckily I was able to keep my old room rather than being moved out to the portables. My room is the best because it's in the corner, which means there are no windows for students to press their faces against, but I do have a row of windows on the opposite side where all there is to look at are grass and squirrels . While I've been gone a large family of fluffy-tailed rodents moved in and dug holes every where behind my room. In fact, the mound of dirt was so big, I thought workers had been out there digging up something, then I realized when I opened the door one afternoon and about seven squirrels went scampering back to their holes squeaking loudly to each other in squirrel-code that it wasn't workmen after all.

Anyway--next to the squirrel field is a bike rack which is on the far end of the parking lot, so I can park my car right in front of my room and just walk in the back door. I love it!

What I don't love is my schedule! I have six preps, four of which are brand new to me. I have 6th grade reading, language arts, and social studies followed by seventh grade English and social studies and lastly, seventh and eighth grade English Language Development for which I don't really have a curriculum. . .

So, I am very busy trying to figure out what to do on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis. Luckily I know sixth grade pretty well already, and my seventh grade partners are amazing and have planned everything and even make my copies for me. I'm so lucky to have such fabulous friends and amazing teachers to work with. It's the ELD class which is my biggest challenge this year. I don't know how to teach kids with mustaches...

Jubilee is still adjusting to going to the babysitter all day, five days a week. Luckily I am able to pick her up by about 3, but she has been cranky every afternoon when we get home. She hasn't been taking naps at the babysitter--no fault of the sitter, Jubilee just isn't used to sleeping over there with all the other children. (I think there's about 4 kids altogether).

That's been the hardest part for me. I hate leaving her and being away all day. It's hard to get up in the morning and not be able to hang out with her. So far Mike has been a tremendous help. He gets up and feeds Jubilee her bottle, then gets her dressed. He's even been making dinner (cooking with fire) most evenings because I've been too tired and overwhelmed to do it myself.

The other decision that was really hard to make was that I decided to put my masters program on hold for a while--at least a year. I simply cannot be a mom, a teacher, and a graduate student. Even if I could afford to pay someone to watch Jubilee while I studied, I wouldn't do it because I want to be with her. Jed also needs me too, even though he is twelve. It makes me sad, but I can come back to that later. I won't be able to get that time back with my children.