Recently, there have been a few big changes in the Bailey house. One big decision, in fact, that put so many things into motion, that I haven't even had time to blog about it.
For a few years now, I've been looking for a change in my teaching
job. Though I love my 5th grade teammates dearly, the job has only
gotten more and more difficult lately. As my classes have gotten
larger, the behaviors more severe, and the day to day challenges more
frustrating, my stress level has skyrocketed, and my happiness has
tanked. I have been simultaneously overwhelmed and bored, and have been
overcome by the ever-growing frustration that I couldn't do the quality
job I wanted to either as a teacher or a mom.
So I've
been exploring other options within the school district for awhile now,
and finally struck gold! I am officially a halftime Literacy Specialist at Mary Woodward
Elementary!
It is a hard thing for me to make a change like
this. For fifteen years, I have been a classroom teacher at Templeton.
It was my first job out of college. I was working there when I got
married. When I had my first daughter. And my second. The staff is
like an extended family of sorts, and some of my coworkers are also some
of my closest friends.
I hate the thought of leaving them in the lurch. But being the gracious people that they are, they've given me a hug, and an encouraging pat, and sent me on my way. They know I need this.
So I've been in my new position for nearly two weeks now, and am feeling overwhelmed, but ecstatic. This position is SO different than that of a classroom teacher. I oversee a small staff of four ladies who teach intervention groups to struggling readers, grades K-5. I am in charge of the budget, the scheduling, the data, and the day to day logistics of an entire department. (Note: They don't teach you this stuff in "teacher school," so it's a bit of a "sink or swim" experience.)
I did get a little lump in my throat on the first day, when several different classes marched in their perfect rows past my window. I didn't have any kids to call "mine." But I participated in the school assembly that afternoon, and held kindergarteners' hands to weave through the throngs of students at the end of the day and onto the correct buses. And then I realized...they are *all* mine. All 420 of them. :)
I have found it to be absolutely so refreshing too, to have a new physical space, get to know new people, and take on a challenge that requires me to think in an entirely different way. So although my learning curve is pretty steep (more of a 90 degree angle!), I am truly enjoying it.
Of course, this big professional change has had a major impact on our family life as well:
- The girls now sleep in 45 minutes later than they used to on school days. They eat breakfast at home, and I get to walk them to the bus stop in our own neighborhood at a leisurely 8:00 (they have always gone to daycare at 7 a.m. and caught the bus there at 7:40.)
- Three days a week, they also ride that same bus home, (HOME!) where I can greet them and help with homework, make dinner, etc. all before the witching hour kicks in. (What a concept!)
- Lucky for us, the girls still get to go to Laurie's daycare two afternoons a week (I work 2.5 days/week, instead of half days all week), and still spend that precious time with their friends.
- I am now available to volunteer in my girls' classrooms on Fridays, and be a part of their educational journey. I can. not. wait!
- Oh, and one last detail...we also now have to maneuver around 15 years worth of teaching materials in our garage. (Still working on that one...)
Of course this decision was not made lightly, especially when considering the financial impact. We are being forced to make very different choices about how to spend our money, what we can live without, and how we can trim our household budget. Not to underestimate this aspect, (because it is a *MAJOR* one), but so far I have to say, it feels so worth it. No amount of money is worth the stress and misery I was enduring, nor can it ever bring back this time...while my girls are still young...and they want me around. No. Amount.
So, in short.........
Big changes around here. BIG. The kind that make me happy. So, so happy. :)
