Life has changed around here. For the first time in almost 12 years, I'm pretty much working full time again. I'm working part time for a non profit and subbing nearly every day as well as blog stuff. I'm LOVING all of it but it's taking some getting used to. Especially after 6 months of being home and not setting an alarm. It's been a shock to my system to get up early every day and get all of us ready and out the door by 7:15. I'm not a morning person and neither are the kids. So it's taking a lot of planning at night and organization which are not my strong points. ha!
NO I'm not a teacher. I have a degree in business. But in AR at least - you can sub even with just a high school degree. You make more money if you have a degree and even more if you are a certified teacher. It's a great flexible job and has the hours that match the kids and I can pick or choose what days I work which has been great. I'm working a lot of half days this week which allows me to work for the non profit the other half of the day and then blog stuff at night. It's a lot and I'm SO TIRED but I'm also very happy.
So far I have mostly worked in special ed and I LOVE it. My mom was a special ed teacher so maybe it's just in my genes. I love the kids. I taught 4th grade this week also. It's honestly so easy because the teacher leaves such detail plans and the kids can do a lot of work on their own with some guidance. I've had to reach WAY back to my 10 year old self to try and remember placement values and subject and predicates. ha ha ha!
I think my biggest challenge is getting kids to behave and be quiet and listen without being the "mean teacher". As Laurie told me - I didn't take any Classroom management classes in the business building in college. ha!
I especially love getting to see my kids and see get to know their friends. Although Hollis did NOT want me to take her picture - "MOM - I'm at school!" ha ha!
And I just love the kids in general! I love all their different personalities. Two sweet girls told me they had a surprise for me and then showed me pictures they both drew of me. I had on a a sparkly mask that day. I'm friends with both of their moms and one of the girls told her mom she had the "best sub ever" when she got in the car.
I love being around the teachers also. I just love the atmosphere of schools. I don't think I could ever be a full time teacher but substituting is just filling that desire for me. AND I know schools are in desperate need of subs this year and I"m not super scared so I feel like it's the least I can do to help. (WHICH I'm happy to report we are in the fourth week of school with basically no cases of covid. There are currently zero active cases out of over 18,000 students).
And I love glimpses of these three!
Last week I went to a prayer breakfast put on for some local non profit ministries. It was so pretty!
They prayed over us and out ministries.
Susan and I always have fun together. We are growing and changing and I'm happy I have even more time to devote to our work now that Will Holden is in school. It's fun to balance both jobs and get to do a lot of different things but still be with the kids in the afternoon.
I'm trying to juggle the house and laundry and cooking and all that along with working out of the house nearly full time. I know that most of you have been doing that forever but it's just a learning curve. Scott has been pitching in a lot more and since he's working at home - he's able to take the kids to school for me or be home with them if I need to go to something. That's been a gift in this time.
I'm excited to be in a new season. It's such an uncertain time. I don't know how life might change in the next few weeks/months or if at any time we might have to quarantine so I'm holding plans loosely and I'm not complaining that I'm so busy again because I remember back in early April when I was going nuts not going anywhere or seeing anyone. ha!
