Endings and New Beginings....

This week was the last day of school. It was readily bittersweet, in that Carson, who had a FANTASTIC Kindergarten year is growing up and now a first grader, and I completed my second long term sub position. So much has happened since January....more than I ever imagined.

I subbed as the Special Education teacher in Autism, a position I loved so much, I started back to school, originally to get teacher licensure in Special Ed., but for only one extra class, I can get a Master's Of Education. Obviously, the path I chose. I will have two Master's Degrees when completed. Classes started in May, and while the homework routine takes some getting used to, I really am enjoying it.

The wonderful Autism teacher that I was subbing for came back after maternity leave and I started a long-term sub position for the art teacher. I went from 7 students to 935 students. While I do have an art degree, I found that I DO NOT like "teaching" art. In the mean time, the Autism teacher decided not to return next year to stay home with her beautiful baby girl, I was interviewed and was offered her position. I eagerly look forward to next fall and getting back with my sweet, sweet students. As strange as this might seem, I truly feel like at my age, I have FINALLY found what I want to be when I grow up. I used to teach school many years ago, and while I liked my job and I loved my students, my heart was not in it like it is now. The children that I am working with are all so incredibly unique and wonderful, truly gifts to be treasured, as are all children, but these have grabbed my heart and awakened something that makes me want to do whatever I humanly can to guide and instruct them.

In the midst of the Autism job, I met some pretty amazing people. I have been blessed with some wonderful new friends, and particularly one best friend. It is really nice to feel at home and surrounded by family and friends again.

Carson continues to amaze us... he completed Kindergarten with high scores and will be starting First grade at the school I am teaching in next year. I am really having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the idea of him being old enough for First grade. What happened to the 7lb 4 oz baby boy of mine. I told him the other day that he needed to stop growing up so fast. This was the conversation that followed:

Carson: "I have to grow up!.. I have to get a mom"!

Me: "But you already have a mom, me"...

Carson: "No, I need a different mom"!

Me: (slightly hurt and concerned at this point),"Why do you need a different mom"?

Carson: "So I can be a dad"

Light bulb went off! He doesn't want to get a new mom (Like I would ever let him LOL) He wants a wife! He just wants to grow up and have his own family. I truly love the fact that he is thinking about his future already. I know that if I slow down for one second, time will have passed and he will be grown and WITH a family of his own. If I could only slow time down a little....

I said all of this hopefully, to catch you up.... I have been rather remiss is blogging lately. I know that time slips away faster than I imagined and honestly life is way more important than blogging. I do hope to find time over the summer to update more frequently.

Summer plans are still a little up in the air at the moment. The school district is sending me to several conferences and training programs, and no dates have been set in stone yet, so travel plans this summer are still a little vague. We are hoping to get up to New Jersey, down to Virginia Beach, and hopefully back to Texas.