I am LOVING my new job! Working full-time for the first time in years sure is tiring though. But I really couldn't have asked for a better situation. I'm paired with a great teacher, I'm loving Kindergarten, and my co-workers are sooo helpful and supportive!
I haven't felt this happy and generally satisfied for a long time. Its nice to feel like you have a purpose and you're making a difference. I'm also learning a lot at work. This coming week all of us will be starting a Guided Reading block which I'm tremendously nervous about. Its new to all of us and I'm one of those people that hates going into situations blindly. Being a bit of a perfectionist I like to know the ins and outs of things before diving into them. Soooo...I've asked about a thousand questions this past week. But I think I'm as prepared as I can possibly be for the week ahead and I can always tweak my methods if need be. Its also comforting that all the other teachers/staff are going to have to feel their way somewhat blindly through this task. But overall I'm really happy with my job.
In other news, hubby and I have planned a Thanksgiving trip to NYC (our city!) and I'm SO excited about it. It hit me that we'd be there ON Thanksgiving day for the first time and I immediately started jumping up and down saying, "WE CAN GO TO THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE!!!!!" So that's what we're going to do. I'm STOKED, can you tell? I only wish we had children to take with us so they could enjoy it. But I guess I can be a little kid myself about something like this. And of course we'll get to enjoy the sights and take in a Broadway show like we usually do. It will be great to get back to the city we love so much!
The only other thing that's going on is that Bob and I have registered for a Halloween-themed 5k on Oct. 29th. This should be fun because some of his family has also entered and we're going to try to dress up. So on Friday I managed to get back to my 5k distance and I'm going to try for it again today. Fingers crossed!
-G♥
I think I might just be the world's worst blogger. I mean really. I'm just indecisive. First I'm updating this and then I decide I want to join the Navy again and I'm updating my blog about that. But hopefully my mind is set. Let me update about what's been going on in my life the last several months.
As of the latter part of last school year I was completely, and utterly fed up with my after-school position. I felt it was going nowhere and my boss was becoming increasingly more difficult to work with. I was grateful that I had been offered a tutoring position and was able to do that for a few hours every morning and actually get some classroom experience. Then that ended abruptly when the kids tested late in the school year. At that point I had come to the point where I had interviewed for the same after-school position at another school to escape conflict with my boss. That didn't pan out so I decided that if I had to return to the same position in the Fall I would likely have to find work elsewhere.
Now, let me build the backstory on this a little bit before anyone jumps to conclusions. I have always butted heads with controlling people because I hate to be controlled and I don't submit to them. However, I learned a long time ago that I was always going to come into contact, and sometimes work with, those kinds of people and in a school-setting I had to choose professionalism and biting my tongue, over verbalizing my frustration with people like my boss. So believe me when I say...I had bitten my tongue, put on my happy face, and persevered through a lot of pretty awful behavior and attitude towards me on her part. Through it all I maintained my professionalism. The strange thing was always that I would hear from someone here and there how she was really impressed with me or didn't want to lose me. Which was funny because...you sure could have fooled me! And meanwhile the teachers, staff, students, and parents at the school seemed to like and appreciate me. So....I endured.
And...
It payed off! At the end of the year I was offered a teacher's assistant position in Kindergarten with a FANTASTIC teacher! It wasn't until the end of the summer that it was confirmed so I spent my summer preparing elsewhere in my life. In February I had decided that, because the teaching avenue wasn't working out and I still thought about it all the time, that I would start training again for the Navy. I got pretty far into it. I had lost about 25 lbs and toned a good bit. I made new Navy friends. And then on my first teacher work day that all came crashing down in the most pleasant way. I felt like I was back where I belonged.
My heart is in teaching. I love being in a school. My co-workers are fantastic and some of them are downright hilarious and ALL of them have been extremely welcoming, warm, friendly, encouraging, and supportive of me under this new position. To top it off I was paired with a fantastic teacher who is extremely positive and appreciative towards me and we work really well together.
So...I feel really bad about turning my back ONCE AGAIN on the Navy, but I feel like this is really where I belong. I will always have a fondness for the Navy and be supportive of the women I've known who have given so much to join. But it doesn't look like its in the cards for me. So I told myself that if the teaching thing was going to work out for me then that would be the situation where I would want to really settle down and try to start a family. So...fingers crossed that thats in the future for us.
So the positive side is that I'm really, really happy with my job. I mean, I absolutely LOVE it! The downside is that I sort of fell off the exercise wagon when I started and now I've had a terrible cold for over a week. But I'm starting to get over it so its back to the gym and running for me! And on the teaching front, by the end of the year I should feel comfortable taking the PRAXIS exam and getting certified in Elementary. I feel really confident that my future is at this school so...I'll keep everyone posted.
Have a great school year!!
-G♥
Listen to Blog Music
