This is my first attempt at Thursday 13, so bear with me. I'm not sure I can come up with 13 things.
1. TAKS week, TAKS testing, standardized testing in general--I could do a *lengthy* blog on this issue.
2. end of the six weeks, averaging grades, messaging parents--another lengthy blog topic.
3. Rain! Blessed rain!! rain to grow the grass, rain to refill our lake, rain to freshen the wildflowers!!!
4. The metal "crane" I got Wick for his birthday actually lights up at night, just like the picture shows in the catalog, and looks great standing next to the end of the dock.
5. A former student introduced me to his friend as "the most awesome teacher ever."
6. Chicken salad in the school cafeteria, one of the best things they have *ever* served.
7. Blue jeans Friday--yayyyyy!!
8. The new capris and tops I ordered fit beautifully, and look even better than in the catalog (remember, I hate to shop in person).
9. Frankie ate all his kibble on the tile tonight, instead of hiding bits of it under the furniture and under the bath mats.
10. Spending the weekend at Jeana's.
11. Seeing Aidan at his violin guild awards this Sunday afternoon.
12. Shopping for granddaughter Sydney's "True Love Waits" ring, which she requested for her 14th birthday in two weeks.
13. It is still raining! I love rainy nights.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quitting our jobs
Last May Wick was finishing his first year with a school district fairly close to our lake place. I had been teaching in the Dallas area for several years, and looking for something closer to where Wick was teaching. On Memorial weekend, his principal called me in for an interview and hired me. We were elated. We would be working together, in the same program, and could live at the lake full-time.
The first eight weeks were great, driving to and from work together, having lunch together, enjoying our work, and happy to be working for our principal, a strong Christian.
Then....eight weeks into the year, our principal told us he was going to leave. He had been having major health problems, and his doctor had advised that he take a less stressful job. We got a new principal.
On the one hand, we were sad to see our principal leave. On the other hand, we had a commitment to the program, and to the kids, and wanted the new principal to be successful. As the days and weeks went by, we both found certain events unsettling, uncomfortable, unpleasant, even. But we reminded each other how much we were enjoying working together, and living at our lake place.
Then, one day, we sat down to eat lunch together as usual. We looked at each other, and almost in chorus said, "I think we need to leave here. There is somewhere else we need to be."
We wrote our letters of resignation.
We feel that we acted on faith in God and in each other. Both of us having the same thought at the same time seemed to confirm the rightness of our decision.
So here we are, looking for different jobs. Some days, I feel a bit stressed about all the effort that goes into looking for a job: writing resumes, asking for letters of recommendation, getting copies made, etc.
But underneath the "busyness", in my heart, I feel a great sense of peace about our decision, and excitement about what God has planned for us in the future. Are we crazy? I don't know. don't think so. We both feel that God has given us a spiritual gift for teaching and working with students in disciplinary programs. He will not allow that gift to go to waste. Perhaps we will find and use other gifts; perhaps this particular gift will not be the focus for the immediate future; we don't know where we are going, but we look forward to finding out.
The first eight weeks were great, driving to and from work together, having lunch together, enjoying our work, and happy to be working for our principal, a strong Christian.
Then....eight weeks into the year, our principal told us he was going to leave. He had been having major health problems, and his doctor had advised that he take a less stressful job. We got a new principal.
On the one hand, we were sad to see our principal leave. On the other hand, we had a commitment to the program, and to the kids, and wanted the new principal to be successful. As the days and weeks went by, we both found certain events unsettling, uncomfortable, unpleasant, even. But we reminded each other how much we were enjoying working together, and living at our lake place.
Then, one day, we sat down to eat lunch together as usual. We looked at each other, and almost in chorus said, "I think we need to leave here. There is somewhere else we need to be."
We wrote our letters of resignation.
We feel that we acted on faith in God and in each other. Both of us having the same thought at the same time seemed to confirm the rightness of our decision.
So here we are, looking for different jobs. Some days, I feel a bit stressed about all the effort that goes into looking for a job: writing resumes, asking for letters of recommendation, getting copies made, etc.
But underneath the "busyness", in my heart, I feel a great sense of peace about our decision, and excitement about what God has planned for us in the future. Are we crazy? I don't know. don't think so. We both feel that God has given us a spiritual gift for teaching and working with students in disciplinary programs. He will not allow that gift to go to waste. Perhaps we will find and use other gifts; perhaps this particular gift will not be the focus for the immediate future; we don't know where we are going, but we look forward to finding out.
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