Modern Day Matriarch

It seems like each time I post a blog, I open with something like "It's been a really long time since I've updated this..." etc, etc. So, I figured why stop the tradition now? It's been a really long time since I've updated this and quite a bit has happened. At the end of May I was offered a teaching job at Marsing Middle School, which I started almost three weeks ago. In June my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she then passed away in July. I'm not ready to write too much about it and I'm not sure if I ever will be or if when I am ready, if it will be something that I share. I miss her every day, all the time. I feel blessed to have had the amazing mother that I did/do. I feel like I've actually been dealing with it well, considering at one point I thought for sure that when she passed I'd have to be medicated:) I've actually been proud of myself for the way that I've handled things. It most definitely hasn't been easy, but I'm doing it. My mom was my best friend. I was saw her everyday and I was on the phone with her constantly. I think I'm dealing with the fact that she's gone and that I can't call her or see her. I'm not sure if I'm dealing with the fact that she's dead and that probably doesn't make much sense to anyone but me:) There are moments when I am completely overwhelmed with missing her and then there are moments when I'm still a bit in shock. Sometimes I'll ask myself, "Did that really happen?" In some ways it feels like I was living in a vacuum for those six weeks and then all of a sudden it was done. Blah... anyway, I'm going to stop for now.

School is going really well. At some point I'll post pictures of my classroom. I love it. It's an incredibly odd shape with walls an interesting shade of yellow, and a drinking fountain I can't drink out of because the water in Marsing is literally THAT bad, however, I LOVE it! I really do. I love my classroom, the staff, and I love my students. I think I could stay in Marsing for a very long time... if they'll keep me:) They have no curriculum, which overall is really nice, because it means I get to choose everything I teach, as long as I adhere to the standards. As a first year teacher this has been somewhat overwhelming, just because it requires a little more work, but I'm really grateful for it. I don't think that everything happens for a reasoning, but I do think that this district is the right fit for me, and that I was supposed to get the job that I got there. Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm the supervising teacher for drama club?! Yeah, I completely got roped into that one:) I don't even DO drama, however I'm easy to convince. It's supposed to be "completely student run", but we'll see about that. The first meeting, the drama club president spent most of the meeting explaining how the vice president would be chosen. This is a direct quote, "The vice president will be chosen for their commitment, how many meetings they come to and... spirituality!" Possibly he meant school spirit?

Well, that is my update. I will hopefully write again soon, with a funny middle school story or two, and at some point I will post pictures of my classroom.