March 28, 2024

What a year – Hello Summer!

 

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…

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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!

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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!

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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!