New Year; New Me!

Ha! More like same me new decisions! The first one up is preparing to leave my career as a classroom teacher. I have been in the classroom for only 2 years. Prior to that a year as an academic interventionist, special education para-educator, and a tutor. I have spent over a decade in education either directly working in it or learning about it to load my educator tool box for the career of a lifetime to inspire a love for lifelong learning.

Any teacher reading this knows that is purely naive ideological optimism that one possesses as they enter into the world of classroom teaching. There comes a point when you become sorely disillusioned. There also comes a point when you bounce back from that disillusionment and it typically occurs sometime after the long Christmas break. In my first year, that is exactly what happened. I bounced back, I was meeting the needs of my first graders where they were and with what they needed. I could never have asked for a better group of students than my first graders. Their lives inspired me, their struggles kept me up at night, and I scoured for resources for many of my students and their families when they were in need. That is what I lived for, that was the purpose of my work. However, data was about 70% of my job.

This year, I taught 3rd grade. The stakes are quite a bit higher once you leave primary grades. Data has completely robbed me of the purpose of my work. The reward no longer outweighs the costs. I thought perhaps after the Christmas break I would bounce back from that disillusioned phase. That perhaps it is an annual cycle teachers go through. Except this time it isn't going away.

There is a certain amount of scrutiny that teachers have to deal with. As a public service person there is always scrutiny from the public and every teacher knows that. However, you would think that scrutiny or judgment would come from parents, and citizens outside of the school walls. In my experience this was less the case, the scrutiny comes from inside. My decisions, my management, and my creativity not only questioned, but mistrusted, criticized, and shut down.
This time I am reevaluating everything.

We are a family of 5. My husband of 12 years and I have 3 children. Our children are 11, 8, and 3. I was in college from the time my oldest was 6 months old until my middle was 5. It took a long time! I have done a pretty good job of juggling career and parenthood until I entered a classroom full time. I have missed field trips, volunteering in my kids' classrooms, and really being a totally available parent. It is time for me to be more present in my parenting and family.

Over the next year we are going to be transitioning to a semi homesteading family. I will be blogging about those adventures as well as other areas of interest. Some other areas that may get covered are education, home improvements, and photography. I invite you to follow us on this journey.