From One Dream Job to the Next...

Teaching Spanish at Lakeview Middle School is my dream job!  

I have used that phrase many times throughout the past three years because it has been as perfect as I can imagine any teaching job being.  My corporation is progressive and innovative. My administrators are supportive, encouraging and trusting.  My co-workers embrace me as family.  My department is collaborative, open minded and growing.  My Spanish and pedagogy are constantly improving thanks to the ongoing professional learning available in my corporation. My students are intriguing, challenging and impressive.  I love my schedule.  I love my job description.  I love my classroom.  I love my freedom.  I. LOVE. MY. JOB.

And I know not everyone can say that.  I truly appreciate the unique and wonderful situation I have been in the past few years because I know it is rare.

And, yet, I have chosen to pursue a different career starting this fall.  I will be mothering my daughter, Naya.  I will be trying so hard to speak to her entirely in Spanish.  I will be taking care of our home.  I will be (hopefully) mastering the art of saying no to certain things so I can say yes to better things.

I believe with all my heart that "staying at home" is a full time teaching job.  I will lesson plan.  I will think of effective procedures.  I will evaluate.  I will conference.  I will loop with my student year after year.  I will never have weekends or holidays off, and yes I will even share a home with this little student!  Creepy?  Sort of.  Intimidating?  Definitely.  But motivating?  HECK YES.

I choose to see it as exchanging one dream job for the next.  It would be so difficult for me to say good-bye to teaching at Lakeview if I felt that I was settling for something less amazing.  And while I am confident that I will miss so many aspects of my former dream job, I can honestly say I look very forward to all that my current dream job holds. I love my new schedule.  I love my new job description.  I love my new "classroom". I love our new freedom.  I. LOVE. MY. NEW. JOB.

As for you all (my lovely readers...hello? Anyone there?), I fully intend to spend this time making this blog more user-friendly! I hope to get caught up with the dozens upon dozens of great drafts that have been sitting on my blogger dashboard unfinished. I plan to attend conferences, read books and continue to brainstorm on ways to effectively teach languages to students (but who am I kidding? I have a 9 month old! Be patient.) 

Let's be clear:  Being a mother is now my dream job! One that I didn't even know I dreamed of, to be honest.  But one that I am THRILLED to pursue.

Keep reading!  I'll always be passionate about sharing ideas for language learning here.