God is in control

Hey All,

So, here is my to be continued post from, "Where I've Been." I just want to explain a little bit more about how I landed this job and was "rejected" by other job opportunities. So, let me explain. Ben and I left Alaska in May and left a big chunk of our hearts with it. For the first few months of being back in Minnesota, I felt so uncomfortable. I felt lonely, wondering what was going to happen in the future. Would Ben and I ever find peace in Minnesota again? I think for Ben it was a little bit easier because he had a job lined up. He knew exactly what he was going to be doing. However, in September and October we were still missing Alaska quite a bit and ended up meeting with the president of Alaska Christian College. We talked to him and sort of day dreamed for awhile of what it would look like work at ACC. We started praying about it and realized that at this time that answer was a no. Not to say it might not come further down the road. We love that school and what it stands for. For right now is all we can do is support and pray for the kids who go to college there. So, I kept subbing, kept applying for long term sub jobs, para professional jobs, etc. I never heard anything back and kept thinking, "what is wrong with me?" I started to doubt my abilities, I started getting anxious about really silly and ultimately uncontrollable things. It was in that moment that I was ready to hand things over to God. I couldn't bare to do it on my own anymore. As much as I always knew that is what I needed to do, sometimes you just have to be stubborn before you can surrender.

So, let us fast forward about a month. I had a dear friend in Mountain Village who was struggling with alcohol and I just wanted to be near her. Help her, love her, and was almost willing to just go there and live life alongside of her for a month. Then, another one of my friends from Mountain Village had her dad get really sick and she needed to be with him in Anchorage. She was with him for a long time until he eventually passed away. In the middle of that though, I had emailed the principal in Mountain asking if they needed a long term sub and she said what a great idea, I will send your info over to HR. I thought, "HOLY COW" this might actually happen. I might get to go back to Alaska. Well, I never heard back from her, but I did hear from a retired Bush teacher saying that she was going to Mountain Village to fill in for "H." I kind of felt like I had been slapped in the face, but it didn't take me too long to realize that there was probably a reason for that. So, I had a pity party for about a minute and started praying about where God would have me. Then, about two weeks later, the position opened up for Kindergarten. Well, you already know that I did indeed take it.

When I moved back from Alaska I really didn't want to teach again because I didn't think I could love students the way I did in Alaska. Let me tell you, I was WRONG. I absolutely love my kiddos here. They are fun, funny, loving, smart, and energetic. They need hugs just as much as my kiddos in Alaska did. God has called me to work with children of all settings, whether it is in Alaska, Minnesota, or kids of my own someday. In the end, God is in control-ALWAYS.

Where I've Been

Hey Everyone,
  It has been awhile since I've blogged and for that I apologize, however my absence has been for good reason. Towards November I was starting to feel unsettled about subbing. I didn't like not having my own class, my own classroom, my own school, etc. I'm very much a person that needs a schedule, I think that is why teaching Kindergarten works for me. Those little buggers need schedule just as much as I do. They need consistency and so do I. I started praying that if God wanted me to be subbing, I would do it faithfully and not complain about it. I also prayed that God would help me accept change or trying new things to get me out of my comfort zone. In my head, that meant helping Ben with projects around the house. I'm not very handy, but Ben really likes it when I'm at least around. So, that is what I had in mind. I have been trying to do those things, but here is where I get to my point.

During the month of December I applied for a few different positions. One at a pre-school, another as an Extended Kindergarten Teacher in the Buffalo Hanover Montrose School District, and several long term sub jobs in the area. I got a call to set up an interview for the pre-school position. I was STOKED. It meant a full time gig and I would know exactly what I was doing every. single. day. So, I set up an interview and through talking to the director, I knew I had a pretty good shot. However, I wasn't sure if there would be benefits, and so I was a little leery. Well, the day before my preschool interview I got a phone call from Montrose Elementary School for the Extended Kindergarten Job to set up an interview. So within 24 hours I set up two interviews for the same day. Let's jump ahead to the next day. I interviewed in the morning for the pre-school position and found out there were no benefits. wa wa wa. That afternoon I had an over the phone interview with two principals in Montrose. This was kind of like a preliminary interview and it went SO fast. He asked about 25 questions like rapid fire. I hung up the phone and had no clue what I had even answered. They told me they would call to set up an in person interview if I made it to the next round. Well, about an hour later I got a phone call and we set up a second interview for the next day. After the interview (I was the last interviewee) the principal hired me on the spot and gave me a tour of the school. We set up my orientation for the next day at the district office and then I would be able to come in and start working over Christmas Break. Oofta! Talk about overwhelming.

So, I got hired on Wednesday, had orientation on Thursday, and came in on Friday. Friday was the last day before kids got out for Christmas break. I walked into my new classroom on Friday and much to my surprise, there was nothing but a few tables, chairs, a desk, and empty as can be shelves. What am I suppose to put on my walls? Where do I get markers? Where are the books? Do I have curriculum? And honestly, I thought to myself, "what in the hell did I get myself into." Sorry for the language, but it is the honest truth. In the meantime I got called to set up an interview for a long term sub job, and I rejected it with joy.  Teachers came in throughout to introduce themselves and that was fun. But I spent the next couple of weeks getting geared up to be a Kindergarten teacher again.

I'm the luckiest Kindergarten teacher in the whole world. I teach an intervention program Kindergarten. The kids who qualified had only been going to school for half of a day. Now they get to go the whole day. 1/2 the day is spent with their primary teacher and the second half is spent with me. I have a morning and afternoon group. I have 11 kids in the morning and 9 in the afternoon. I have almost complete flexibility to do what I want with these kids. I have a para to help me out for most of the day. I get 80 minutes in the middle of the day for lunch/prep. Did I mention that I'm the luckiest Kindergarten teacher ever? I get to do all the fun things that teachers WISH they could get to, but can't because of time.

I have already written a lot, but that is where I have been. God has truly humbled me in this position and I will touch on that in the next post. TO BE CONTINUED....