I Am A Substitute

I am officially a substitute teacher. I have worked three days. I have been at the high school twice. It is not bad, but if I see one more cell phone I am going to scream. I am constantly telling the kids to put away their cell phones! I really enjoyed working in the first grade class this week. The kids were good and I was busy the whole day. My kids loved not going to carpool and they thought it was so cool I had a key to the school. It has been as adjustment for the whole family, however everyone is doing just fine. They seem happy for me and I am enjoying getting out of the house some.

A Small Step

I have written before about needing a job and learning about lateral entry into the school system. I have become a substitute teacher in the mean time. I am hoping this will help get my foot in the door. Also, my family really needs the money. As a substitute I am hoping to learn a lot about students and get to know others who could possibly help me. Getting back to work is exciting and nerve racking all at once. My first substitute job is this Friday at a high school for a PE teacher. Luckily it is an early release day and I can get my feet wet. I have never worked with high schoolers before, so this will be an eyeopener. I wish I could just skip to the part where I am settled in. School just started last week so jobs are slow right now. It will pick up soon and I will settle in, just ready to be at that point. The kids are hopeful that I will get to sub for their class and it would be nice to see a friendly face. So a small step for now and hopefully on to a bigger step.

School Is Back In

Today is the first day of school for my little ones. Lilly starts first grade and she is so excited. She informed me last night that the first day of school is the best because you do not do any work. Tyler starts fourth grade and he is not quite so excited. However, he switches classes this year with another teacher. Not all the fourth graders do this and he was pretty proud of himself.

Now for me. This is the first chance I have had to write in a while. This summer has been great. It was a much needed rest. I can not believe the kids are back in school so soon. The summer seems to have flown by. Normally about two weeks before school starts I am ready to get back on a schedule, but not this year. I think the quiet summer after a rough winter was much needed. Another bit of news is I am a substitute teacher. School just started today so I have not worked yet, but I am looking forward to this new adventure. I am hoping that it will help get my foot in the door and lead to something more permanent! So hurray for the first day of school!!

 

A Twist

Okay, so I have written before about needing to find a job. Here is a little backstory-When Tyler was one I decided to stay home and I started an in-home daycare. Nothing crazy, just one or two kids for the money and social skills for Tyler. I was also getting my BA during this time. When I started graduate school we stopped the in-home daycare. I now have a master’s degree and the kids are in school. We struggle with paying bills and everything that goes along with having a family. My husband and I thought being a teacher’s assistant at the kids’ school would be a great idea. I have always wanted to be a teacher, but when the kids came and I started school online I figured that dream died. This new idea seemed wonderful. I could fulfill a dream and no child care needed for the kids, especially during the summer. A little glitch, here in North Carolina there is a budget proposal to give teachers a much needed raise and cut teacher assistants. The powers that be are still working on it (fingers crossed). Another twist, my mom mentions to a relative my idea and she says, why not become a lateral entry teacher. So now, I have started this process. I will have to take some classes, but I have three years to complete them. Also, I have to get a job as a lateral entry teacher. I find this nerve racking. The only thing on my resume that qualifies me for a job is my master’s degree. The rest of my resume is a preschool teacher. How do I handle an interview? I have no idea what kind of questions they will ask me. I am excited and nervous about this prospect! The money would be great and a dream would come true. So nervous!

Follow-up to Grandparents

It has been a couple of weeks since my dad had his “talk” with me. It seems he is completely surprised that I am upset. He thought I would talk to the kids and everything would be fine. This baffles me. He comes to my house and tells me he is not comfortable watching my children and he thinks I will not be upset! Now, that I am done venting, I would like to say that grandparents are great. They give support and help out most of the time. My kids love going to their house and just hanging out. My grandparents died when I was very young and it is a relationship that I missed and wished I had growing up. I know that this disagreement will pass and everything will settle down, but it is no fun right now.

Summer Vacation!/Grandparents

Summer vacation has officially begun! The kids are so excited! they each passed their grades with flying colors. I could not be more proud of my two little ones! This week is already crazy. We have been somewhere everyday. Today, we are at home and catching our breath. The kids have been very quiet. I think they needed some alone time. I am looking forward to this summer with the kids. Since I had the hole in my eardrum fixed I can go to the pool more this summer. We are planning to hit many parks and maybe some day trips to the beach. I am looking forward to a less strict schedule and not driving to school twice a day. We recently bought a slip and slide and they have enjoyed playing on it.

So this is how my newest post started and then my dad came over for a talk. He sat down and informed me that he no longer feels comfortable watching my children. He claims that the has to tell them 3 or 4 times before they do something and once Lilly never did what she was told. “It’s just little things but if they won’t listen to small things then they won’t listen on important things” he said. Now, I am not a parent who thinks her children are perfect and I trust when adults tell me something about my children. However, this is outside their normal behavior. Their teachers sing their praises and tell me they always do the right thing even when the teacher is not looking. Maybe always is a bit strong, but you know what I mean. Here is the example he gave me, he asked Tyler to hold his hand in the parking lot. Tyler told him that I don’t make his hold hands, just stay close. My dad told him he wanted to hold his hand and Tyler did. It took me a second to figure out the problem. Tyler wanted to follow my rule not his. I would understand if Tyler had refused to hold hands, but he didn’t he did as he was asked. Sometimes, I feel like the hardest part of having kids is the grandparents. Grandparents are important for children, at least that’s how I feel. It is nice to have a fun relaxed place to go. My grandparents died when I was young and I am so pleased that my children have my parents. Are all grandparents like this? I would really love some advice of to hear about your own experiences.

Finally, a new post!

Well, I have not written anything for a while. Life will just not settle down! Baseball and T-ball are in full swing. Tyler has had two games a week, some of them starting at 7:15. This has been tough on the kids. He loves playing but he has school also and he is tired from all of it. For some reason, we have a break this week. The kids have about two and half weeks of school left and I can’t wait for it to be over. No more homework and no more driving to and from school! Although, I will miss carpool. I enjoy reading during the wait. And now, I would like to brag a little about my little ones. Tyler started the year on a 3rd grade reading level (current grade) and at his last assessment his reading is mid-level 5th grade! So proud of his hard work!!! Lilly is in kindergarten and reading on a second grade level! These two definitely make my heart sing!

Spring Break Is Over

Spring Break was last week and we had a grand time! We had a wonderful week of glorious sunshine and warm weather. The kids played outside the entire week. This winter has been so cold and we have had more snow than usual. It was so nice to feel the sun and warm air! I know many parents do not like when the kids are out of school, but I enjoy it. It was nice not driving back and forth to school, no homework, and just hanging out together. As usual after Spring Break, I am ready for school to be out for the summer. There is just less stress. You don’t have to worry about grades or homework or strict bedtimes etc. It was really nice to have a quiet normal week. Since November this family has been on a major roller coaster; holidays, my sister possibly needing another transplant and finding out she doesn’t, finishing graduate school, looking for a job, my surgery and just regular life that has to go on. So, Spring Break was a nice break for this family.

Tired of Stress

My son told me the other day that he can’t wait to be an adult so he can eat candy whenever he wants. I laughed and thought that eating candy whenever I want is a small reward for all the responsibilities of an adult. Sometimes the weight of the responsibility is very heavy. Right now is one of those times. I am looking for a job and not having much luck. We really need the money. Both kids have birthdays within a month of each other and new clothes to buy with a new season. My son Tyler is going through some kind of phase and I had to throw out some tough love recently. No electronics until I see a better attitude and with the horrible weather we are having this was a hard hit for him. Lilly is giving up sucking her thumb (her idea!) and is needing some extra help at night. We also have a new addition to the family, my sister’s dog. He need some training and is getting use to our schedule. I want to do what is best for my family and I don’t always have the answers. My husband and I have had many conversations about what kind of job for me to apply for and how much money and everything else that life throws at us. There art times when I am tired of stress and in these moments I try to remind myself of the good things in my life as well. It still makes me tired at the end of the day.

Snow Days!

Here in North Carolina, we have had a lot of snow! The kids have missed many days of school. Today, they were out again due to a small ice storm we had yesterday. They were not happy about school being closed again. Now, don’t get me wrong, they had lots of fun playing in the snow and sledding! I can’t tell you how much laundry I did!! They loved warming up in front of the fire while drinking hot chocolate. However, when they learned about make-up days they were not happy. When they found out school was closed today they were not happy. They said “If they miss any more school they will have to go all summer.” It is so funny how they think about that stuff. When I was a kid I never thought about make-up days I just loved being out of school for the day. It is so funny how they think today. I never thought about make-up days like they do. So this family is definitely ready for Spring!