Changes

City Change

Grade Change

Subject Change

Yes....I'm doing them all this coming year.  After much deliberation over the last year I decided to leave the only area I had lived and worked in after college and move.  Now I did just decide to move home so it isn't a huge change but I have left the colleagues and support that I have always had.  I left the teachers who could reassure me when I doubted myself and the teachers I knew I could turn to and admit when I feel like I failed a child.  They never judged and always had an encouraging word.  They pushed me to try harder and loved their work as much as I do.  The hardest part of this change has been leaving them.  I have called to check in on their planning meetings with new team members and to hear about their first days of school (for a certain year round teacher!).  I will miss them greatly.  Luckily with the advent of the internet and cell phones, I still get to email them cool stuff I find.  They still send along resources to me.  And we can still share book covers of those must buy books (Do you own Squids will be Squids?  It's my new classroom buy!)

Weren't we cute?? :)

My reason for switching cities/states was about me.  I'll get paid more.  This is always a plus.  NC has frozen salaries for 4 years with no step increase (this goes for this coming year as well).  I'm also at home.  Right now I'm staying at my mom's house and while it isn't perfect it is something you don't truly cherish until you've moved out on your own and return.  Family dinners, chatting over a cup of coffee, a hug goodnight, etc.  As well...for this summer and this summer only, my younger brother and sister are BOTH living in town.  We're all back in the same city.  I have the time off to go and visit and spend time with them.  I know I will always look back on this summer and be very grateful for it.

Now the grade and subject changes were necessary for me to be able to work at the school I wanted.  I interviewed and then was offered the job that night although some of the specific weren't decided on yet.  Over the next few weeks it was decided what grade I would be working with (4th or 5th...5th grade it is) and what subjects I would be teaching.  It looks like I will be team teaching with another teacher (1 of the 6 on the team) and be teaching language arts, social studies, and math.  She will be teaching science, while I teach her class math.  Math was my non-negotiable subject :)  The first 3 years out of college I taught 5th so the age is not new and it is actually a grade I love.  They have independence, personality, and they challenge me and teach me everyday.

I've taken most of the summer off from thinking about school and my class next year.  This has been a big step for me and has allowed me to work on myself.  I think teachers often forget to do that.  However, now as we near the end of July I'm gearing up and getting ready to think about it.  Postings will soon be coming about the new things I'll be doing and the ideas I've stolen borrowed from others online (Pinterest and blogs are a godsend!).