thinking of next year
So um…five months later…
I guess that’s what working full time with two little kids does. No time to write. Clara started walking recently. She’s become quite accomplished at it very quickly. She turned one about 10 days ago, and started taking her first steps around Christmas time. Hannah has so much to say, and she’s a busy little girl. I guess she’s no longer a toddler. She will be three in a month. Time flies.
Work is work. I still like my job, but I’m nervous about what next year will hold. They are making changes to my program so maybe I won’t be at the same school or teaching the same subjects. I need to speak with the director of Bilingual/ESL for my district about what opportunities there are. I’m thinking of applying to do ESL pull out. It’s less planning and papers, but the same salary as what I do now, which would be lovely.
I’ve been contemplating not working next year. We crunched some numbers a few nights ago and if I don’t work, no new house. Our current house is ok, it’s just small, with little space leftover for the grownups. And not much room for visitors. My world is still my girls, and I want to be with them as much as possible. But Clint seems to really want me to work. Both for the income and he still thinks I’m happier working than I’d be staying home. I still have summers and long breaks with them… so maybe if I find a position with less planning, grading, and stress, it would be enough to make the difference. It’s just that Hannah is learning so much and starting to need more structure to her experiences. I don’t want to send her to preschool yet, but if I were with her, there would be so many things I could teach her that she’s not getting at her babysitter’s. And Clara… she is changing so fast. I feel like I’m missing a lot of it. If I left work and could really focus on them when I was home, it would be better. We’ll see what happens. If what I’m offered doesn’t allow me to spend more thought, energy, and time at home, I may still look elsewhere. Tutoring or part time or becoming a teacher’s aide.
