Life's Little Interruptions

Life sort of took over and sitting down to write became increasingly more difficult. Let's see:

(1) I have a new position as a 4th grade teacher in a dual immersion program;
(2) I continue to look for housing that isn't going to break the bank, a harder feat than I originally imagined;
(3) I met that someone that, happily, takes up my "free" time (you're on summer vacation, you say...ha);
(4) I attended a conference and learned some new and valuable stuff;
(5) I try to get a little bit of work in each day to make next year more bearable;
(6) Undergoing allergy treatment has proved to create more problems than treat at the moment;
(7) Visited my brother and new sister-in-law in Oregon (that's me climbing - great fun); and
(8) I have been doing a lot of reading (love summer break for that.)

It is both totally stressful and totally fulfilling to have all sorts of life changes at the moment. It was absolutely overwhelming to find out just how much work I have ahead of me. It was fulfilling to attend a session in the conference that sort of focused that work. It was totally stressful to find out I have a one month pay gap between districts that I didn't plan on. That required a little financial planning and reconfiguring of stuff. It was cathartic. Maybe I should buy a van and live out of it instead. There was a guy who used to come up every summer to teach summer school. He lived in his car for 5 weeks, eventually saving enough money to buy a house where he lives - which is a considerable cheaper area that pays its teachers considerably more. I guess I don't want it badly enough. I am getting there, however.

My new district/school has a lot of opportunity to make extra money through training stipends and extra hours, which I will need to take advantage of as much as possible. When I signed on with the new district, they sent me a packet of about 2 dozen trainings that you could attend - paid/for pay/for a stipend/etc. - something I NEVER saw in the old district. Funny. The district/school also paid for 9 teachers and our principal to attend the 2-way Dual Immersion Conference. We are also being paid for 40 hours of work this summer. I would do the work anyway, but its sort of a nice bonus. All of the professional development opportunities and any extra $$ opportunities make you feel so much more valued as a professional educator. My time is actually worth something. Wow. What a totally different feeling. I am sure, with time, there will be things that are annoying, but I certainly feel like I have found a better place for my ideas and personality. Somewhere I can grow.

I have been enjoying my time this summer. Sometimes I sleep late, laze all day, and get very little work or exercise done. Other days, I am immensely productive. It was nice to have time to visit my brother, even if it was a short visit. Although given the dog, there is no way it could have been any longer as I was struggling with my allergies. We went on a beautiful hike around a lake near a volcano. We got to go climbing at dusk in a gorgeous canyon. We ran a 5K on 4th of July. And just had a really nice visit.

The new person in my life is day by day proving to be a good balance for me and truly wonderful. We have a lot of fun together and just seem to work. It is sort of unfortunate that I am moving about 40 minutes away, which is not a big deal. It has made me rather reluctant to find a new apartment, particularly because I have seen a lot of junk for a lot of money. I could save money staying here, but I don't think I would survive commuting for very long. It is a hard commute and I detest being in the car. I figure things will all fall into place. I just need to put out a little more effort on the housing front. It is pretty exhausting and stressful process, so I have been casually avoiding it. Typical.

I want to post some more about my learnings. I have found a ton of great resources that really match my goals and personal teaching philosophy. I might have found these resources on my own eventually, but I was led there by all the training and new interactions in my new school/district. That is what is just so exceptional. As the months progress, I am sure this will become filled with my successes and frustrations. There are many new challenges ahead.