Questions...

I’ve been teaching second grade now for about two months and man has it gone by fast!  I can’t believe I only have 4 weeks left with my second graders!  I really should get back to work, but let me answer two quick questions I often find myself answering.

Is teaching everything you thought it would be?

Yes!  I absolutely love teaching.  It is by far the profession I was mean to be in.  I enjoy going to school each day and finally putting so many ideas to use.   On the other hand, it is so much more than I ever thought it would be.  I had no idea how much there was left to learn—and I’m pretty sure I’ve only scratched the surface.  Coming into a classroom halfway through the year has not been easy at all! BUT, I am so glad I have had this opportunity and the chance to learn and grow more as a teacher.  I have a more challenging class, but they are constantly pushing me to get creative and find new ways to meet their needs.

 Where will you teach next year?  Will you be at the same school?

I feel like the answer to that question is simply put: ?????????????????

I honestly have no idea where I will be next year.  I have one interview set up, but there are a lot of qualified applicants so I do not know what will come.  I have applied to several places, but ultimately all I can do is hope and wait for God’s plan in my life.

The truth is that I’m struggling to be patient right now.  I know where I want to be next year, but I am trying my best to be patient and see what happens.  It’s hard to know that you only have a few months to find a job, like your window of opportunity is only available for so long.  It is difficult to hear of other friends already interviewing and finding jobs.  In the end, though, all I can control is my situation.  I have to trust that whatever His will is will happen, even if I don’t understand it or agree with it at the time. 

Please pray friends!  These next few weeks are going to be quite the adventure!

Teaching Second Grade Again!

SO MUCH has changed within the past few days and I have been very eager to catch you up.

Some of you have been writing to me to find out what my exciting/nerve-wracking news was that I posted about and for a while I didn’t want to say anything.  I’m glad that I didn’t because I honestly did not see the plan the Lord had for me at that time.

Monday evening I was struggling with subbing.  I wasn’t sure if I was doing a good enough job and making a name for myself.  I was beginning to worry that I needed to do more and was praying that the Lord would provide me with some feedback.

On Tuesday I was subbing a first grade class.  I was having a wonderful day.  The class was small and the kids were excellent listeners.  The teacher let me have some freedom and I was actually teaching rather than just “baby-sitting” the class.  I received a compliment from the Principal and learned that someone I had subbed for in the past wanted me to sub for them again.  It was one of those days where I knew God had answered my prayers in more ways than I could have ever imagined.  While the kids were at p.e. I checked my phone and noticed I had a voicemail from a number I didn’t recognize.  It was for a school I had applied to that needed a 1^st and a 3^rd grade interim teacher.  They wanted to set up an interview for next week.  I was really excited and called them back quickly.  My excitement waivered a little when they told me I would have to do a model lesson, but overall I was excited for the opportunities ahead.  That evening I was trying to relax, but was looking at my planner and wondering if I would get anymore subbing positions with parent/teacher conferences coming up this week.  As I was looking at the week, I got another phone call from a number I didn’t recognize.  I received a phone call from a district I had never subbed in before asking if I would sub for them the rest of the week.  They needed someone to sub for the second grade class, whose teacher had been absent for a couple of weeks.  They warned me that the class was wild, but I told them that I wanted to try it anyway.

Wednesday I went into the school and quickly realized that the situation was different than usual subbing positions.  There weren’t any sub plans, but rather plans that other teachers had helped to put together.  There wasn’t any real management system or clear schedule, which left me with an opportunity to put my skills to test.  While the class was difficult at times I enjoyed teaching and the experience I was receiving.  During my prep-time, the superintendent/principal stopped by to tell me that they would be looking for a long-term sub position and that if I was interested she would like to me interview for the position within the week or early next week at the latest.  The secretary gave me an application and I filled it out that evening after working at the forum.

Thursday morning I went to the school with my resume, cover letter, references, and application.  I turned them into the office and not but a few minutes later was visited by the principal/superintendent again who said she would like to offer me the position if my references checked out.  I quickly sent my references a text message just to let them know that they would probably be contacted that day and began another day with the second grade class.  At the end of the day the superintendent told me that she would be sending a letter home to the parents the next day explaining the situation and that she would like me to create a “Meet the Teacher” sheet to accompany it for the next day. 

Today, upon walking in I found out that they were ready to officially offer me the position as the long-term substitute for the remainder of the school year.  I am incredibly excited and overwhelming blessed by how God orchestrated all of these events.  I have a lot of work ahead of me, but am in a state of complete awe and thankfulness at God’s blessings.

Back in the Classroom Once Again

Whew!  It has been a whirlwind of events since I last posted!  For quite a while I was just waiting to start subbing.  I thought I had completed all the steps possible, but was just waiting to get a phone call.  Finally I received a phone call one morning about subbing that led me to realize I had one more packet to fill out.  After finishing that packet the same day, I was getting calls about subbing that afternoon and began my first day of subbing just two days later.  God truly works in amazing ways.  My goal for January was to start subbing and my first day was January 31^st—such a blessing!  Since then I have been able to sub a few days here and there and am hopefully getting my name out there for potential jobs.  Subbing is definitely not the easiest of jobs, as you never know what you will be doing that day, don’t know the class rules and expectations, etc.  BUT it is so good to be back in a classroom and have the opportunity to teach again.  Just stepping foot inside an elementary school felt like home once again.  I’m looking forward to getting more and more calls in the future.

I have also been working on applications for teaching positions next year.  While usually I would be in a complete panic about finding a job, God has given me a great peace about the whole situation.  I truly believe that He has a plan for me and that He will lead me to the job He has planned for me.  There is no sense in worrying about whether or not I can get a job, when ultimately God has it all figured out already.  All I can do is apply and prepare myself as best I can to be chosen for jobs, and leave the rest up to God.  

Well, besides working and applying for jobs, I have been able to get away for a couple weekends to visit my friends back on campus.  I made it up to watch the Superbowl with them, but let’s be honest the most fun of that evening was catching up and eating the insane amount of food we prepared.  We were rooting for the Broncos, but clearly that was a let down. 

I’ve also been keeping busy with some projects lately.  I love when I have time and resources to do some crafting!  I wanted to share pictures, but I lost the majority of my photos when my phone crashed.  You would think that as many times as my phone has been messed up that I would learn to sync it more often--but no!  Hopefully I will be able to take some more soon.  

Enjoy your weekend, I know I am!