A Grateful Heavy Heart

Bella loves Fife too

So blogging is a bit of a diary for me. I have always loved to journal and write, but with two kiddos it seems impossible to read books let alone write too. Soooo...blogging has also become my journal of memories.

Side note: The following post may in fact be really cheesy and drip with emotion...but it comes from my heart. I am feeling a bit hormonal...therefore BEWARE before reading.

The last few weeks I have had a heavy heart, but today I have both a heavy and extremely grateful heart. I have always known that working in the Fife School District has been a very special thing...I hear stories all the time from other educators about where they work and what is going on..how they are treated...what they are forced to do..etc.... I cannot tell you how many times I have prayed to God and thanked him for letting me end up here. A place where students are the center of what we do. A place where we get to create GREAT things for kids and get the time to collaborate and do it.

So it was on one of those collaboration days that something unusual happened. I was with my amazing teaching partner and friend Carly designing a rainforest unit for our third graders. We get two uninterrupted days to just work and create...this in itself is amazing. We were really excited and getting to some amazing rainforesty things done...when all of a sudden Dr. McCammon our school district superintendent put his hands on our shoulders. What followed not only made me cry but also feel proud and grateful.

A little background: A few weeks ago my principal informed us that the district would no longer be supporting job sharing. This rocked my world because that left me with two options ...work full time or have no job. Well...no job is not an option, so you get the picture. When Maddie was little I had to work full time, go to school full time, and work a second job bartending. I missed SO much of when she was little.

Anyway, Dr. McCammon sat down with us and expressed his regret about having to make such difficult decisions such as cutting job sharing during this tough economic time. He also expressed his understanding on how he knew it would change our lives so much. He was so respectful, kind, and understanding. I am pretty sure that there is not many school districts where a superintendent sits down and talks personally to 2 third grade teachers about their positions changing.

Being hormonal as I am...I cried when he left. I felt very selfish for crying...I started thinking about what difficult position he is in...

Don't get me wrong, it is still so hard to think about our family life changing so much next year and YES I am extremely disappointed that this is no longer an option in our district.

BUT, I am so grateful to have a job in this economy. Not just any job...but a job I LOVE so much to my core..working with amazing educators and working for spectacular leaders. I am reminded daily that I am so blessed and feel so proud to be working in Fife. Today was just another reminder.