Hey! Long time, no blog! Whew! What a whirlwind I've been in for the past 12 months! Last summer, I decided to go back to school to seek what I thought was a second bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. I started with Wichita State University in their Teacher Apprentice Program in June. This program allows a person with a previous degree or previous college credits to obtain their BA in education while working as a para educator. This past school year, I had the amazing privilege to work with the Title 1 reading teacher at Jefferson School. I worked with amazing third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers and students, while going to school full time online. At the end of this school year, I was eligible to apply for teaching positions for next year. I applied at Jefferson, but was not offered a position. I was really discouraged, but knew I would have the opportunity the following year. I decided to be content with the plan that was laid out before me, and prayed for God's will. A week later, I was approached by an administrator from our local special education center, and a week after this meeting I accepted a position as a 2nd grade resource room special education teacher! I'm so very excited! I knew I had been drawn to my special education students in the 3rd and 4th grade rooms I had worked in, but I had no idea that this was God's plan all along! The best part is that the degree I am working toward is called an Early Childhood Unified Degree, which allows me to work with pre-K through third grade special education or general education. It's quite amazing, and has opened this wonderful door for me! I will be working in the same school/grade level as our little Claire! She's so excited to be able to eat lunch with Mama sometimes! This past year, I was in the same hall as Asher, so I got to see him several times a day for a smile or a quick hug! As I type this all out, I can hardly believe the amazing blessings that God has given me! I don't know why he loves me so much! I can't wait to teach and love on my 2nd graders next year! We have a loooooong way to go to pay off debt from my years of being a stay-at-home-mom, and of course there is more debt with student loans but it is so worth it! Being able to make a difference in my own children's lives for those 5 years was amazing, and I plan to spend the rest of my days making a difference in my students' lives! I'm ready!
In other news, our sweet girl, Katie graduated from high school a week ago! These 18 years have flown by! Just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital! She looked so beautiful in her cap and gown, and started "adulting" within 24 hours of walking across the stage! She has been working for Walmart since November, but is applying for a position as a pharmacy technician to advance her career while she goes to school full time. She also made an appointment (all by herself) to get her car repaired with her graduation money that she received! She has grown into a strong, independent, Jesus-loving girl and we are so very proud!
