31 for 21, New Job Update

Here's the low down on my awesome new job.

I wrestled with the idea of going back to work a LOT.  I do absolutely love being at home, but as bills changed and we added more kids, etc, etc, it ended up that I couldn't just stay at home with my own kids, but I had to take daycare kids in as well to make ends meet.  So, now, even though I got to be at home, I wasn't so much spending a ton of quality time with Gavin while I was at home, but trying to juggle the needs of the other kids, the parents' schedules, the pick ups and drop offs for school (no busing for us because of our transfer), and also odd  freelance writing jobs.

Ideally, yeah, I'd LOVE to be the mom who has the luxury of staying at home, going on all the school field trips, volunteering in the classes, and taking the little ones to the zoo and the park and the children's museum.  But that's not how things work out here and that's ok.

Anyway, it's just time for a change, and time for me to get a J-O-B, especially when 3/4 of the boys have to be in full time school anyways.  And Gavin?  I'm not gonna lie, I miss him like crazy...but he is BUSY.  Honestly, if I can't be one on one with him and run him all around the city to awesome little-kid play things, then it is very very hard to keep him occupied.  He's ready to be busy with 9 of his closest friends and 3 teachers to assist with the messes...to learn how to sit in a circle and listen to a teacher, and soak up all kinds of new learning :)

So that's that.

Now onto my flipping awesome job:

I really like teaching, I do.  But I really LOVE teaching reading and writing.  Like, I-want-to-marry-it LOVE it.  So, this position that I have as a literacy resource teacher, is the best ever.

I have a little office that I share with five other lit. resource teachers, with my own desk and rolling chair.  I have about a half hour of planning time in there in the mornings, and then I am off.  And by off, I mean I load up my little file-cart-on-wheels with everything that I need for the day, and I go to one classroom in each grade level and assist in their literacy block.  And then I leave.  And I don't worry about walking kids to specials, or lunch...or bathroom breaks...it makes me want to do a little song and dance right now.

I have about an hour in each class, and I work with the same teachers every day.  I teach kids in small groups and individually, I help assess kids in reading, and I plan with the teachers new strategies to grow their students' reading abilities.

Also, the school that I am at was showing some pretty terrible testing scores.  That isn't really my selling point- but what makes that awesome is that they have a wonderful with-it, proven principal in there this year,  a team of really excellent teachers and curriculum support people, and some amazing opportunities for professional growth- all which will *hopefully* make a big difference in the students' gains this year.

It's just a truly awesome place.  This, combined with the boys' school situations and Mary Poppins, I'm feeling like I made the right decision.

PS- Zeke is doing fantastic in school already :)