What a school year this was… After this year, I think I can do anything… I got a second grade position for the year, a day before school started. In to an elementary classroom I went (after being out of my own second grade classroom for 12 years)… A totally bare classroom with nothing except the district programs to use. After about seven hours of non-stop work (luckily I have years of teacher goodies created and purchased – plus teaching second grade all those years ago came in handy as well… my millions of boxes came out of storage) and I was ready for the first day… By November, my classroom looked something like this…
Then two weeks later after my 4oth Birthday and my son’s 13th birthday, my 62 year young dad (who I love with all my heart) had a heart attack while exercising at the gym and passed away. Back to work full time – dealing with the early and sudden loss of a parent made for an interesting year. You know what, with the help of God, my family, and my friends… this school year was a huge success for me. I loved my class, staff, and the non-stop excitement of making learning fun in second grade was a nice way to take my mind off of losing one of my greatest loves… my daddy! He was so excited the day I got this job and he was a huge help those first few weeks taking the kids to their sporting events and getting them on and off the bus. Although I shouldn’t, I still question God as to why take him now and not let him live to be here to share life and love with us… but, I move on because my dad was a no-nonsense kind of guy and he would want us to all keep going.
This year personally was a challenge to say the least… if you have ever lost a parent, you know what I mean. Professionally… it was great! I was so happy to be back in the classroom. I took years off of being in the classroom to focus on my family and on Teaching Heart… but back in the classroom is where I belong. I love being there! There is no better job in the world than being a teacher!
The year ended with a bang… We finished those ABC Journals that I posted about here. Below are the last few days of journal entries!
We had an end of the year awards day that was way too fun. I will be doing that again next year. I purchased dollar store items for each child and came up for awards that matched their personalities. They walked the red carpet to get their awards. FUN DAY!
Great way to end a great year with an incredible class. I could not have hand-picked a better bunch of kids… Unfortunately, this job was only for the year and I have begun the job hunt again… It is incredibly hard to get a teaching job in Western PA… Usually between 300-500 applicants per positions posted. So, I am thankful that only a few months after getting back into teaching after 1o+ years off, I got this job… I hope I get lucky again for the 2016-2017 school year. I will keep you posted.
While I focus on the summer grind of finding a job yet again… I also plan to enjoy the time with my family! I have plans to post a few teaching goodies on the blog as well… so keep reading. Have a wonderful summer!
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