What now?

This morning I looked at someone's blog. I had been avoiding looking at her blog...not because I didn't know I'd love it, but because I knew this would happen. I knew if I looked at her blog I would feel compelled to look at my old blog. :-P (By the way, her blog really is WONDERFUL. You should check it out at southerncomfortga.blogspot.com It's WAY better than mine.)

It wasn't exactly a surprise when I ended up writing a new post for my old blog. Then something horrible happened. There was something wrong with my blog! I ended up having to delete the entire thing and start all over again.

So here I am. What now? It's been a long time since I've done this.

Updates? O.k.

I graduated from college and I actually got a job! Woots!!!! I now teach at Rutland Academy. For those of you who don't know, Rutland is not technically a school. It's an "intervention". What's the difference? Well, we serve 13 different school districts as part of the special education "pyramid of interventions". We are at the very tip top. Our students are placed with us in the category of severe emotional/behavior disorders. Most schools have special education services in place for E/BD kids, but ours usually need something more intensive than what your typical school is equipped to provide. We serve kids in kindergarten through 12th grade. I teach 5th grade.

The usual question I get next is "why?" or else I get comments telling me how "patient" I am or whatever. All of that makes me feel REALLY uncomfortable. What if I told you there was no way on this green earth I could ever sit in an office, be a nurse, sell people insurance, or whatever it is that YOU spend your days doing? And what if I told you that "normal" kids irritate me to the point where I have a hard time being civil, much less a good teacher to them. I don't sound quite so saintly now, do I? I do what I do because it's what I'm SUPPOSED to do. I don't always enjoy it, but I do somehow manage to love it. I love my kids.

My students. I can't go into to much detail about them. Confidentiality and what not. But I do love them, all of them. I have 8 students, 7 boys and 1 girl. I deal with issues from schizophrenia to autism to rotten parenting. (I said I love my kids. I said nothing about the ones raising them.) Each one is unique in their strengths and weaknesses. Each one is precious. And no one has tried to stab me in about three weeks!!!! (O.k., so I've been on vacation for almost two weeks of that. Leave me my little celebrations!)

In other areas:
Miriam is in fifth grade. She is something else! Strong willed to a fault. Funny. Passionate. Smart!!!! I am terrified of the teen years. She is SUCH a drama queen! But she is also absolutely amazing. If we can all live through the next few years, she is becoming a truly extraordinary young woman.

Harley is in tenth grade. He is now over 6' tall. He loves boxing and is disgusted that I won't let him actually learn how. (Something about insisting on protecting his brain cells. You know - sissy, mom stuff.) He makes me so proud of him everyday. I love to see the young man he is becoming. He bore his testimony for the first time a couple of months ago at church. He WILLINGLY goes to seminary every morning. He is intelligent, funny, talented, loving, generous, and WONDERFUL!

John Ryan is back with his bio mom. At least we get to see him most weekends. We miss him when he isn't here, but enjoy those time we do have with him. He is so wonderful to both Harley and Miriam. We are truly blessed to have him in our lives. I am VERY proud of who he is and who he is trying to be.

Ryan is 19 now. He lives with two really wonderful friends. (It's nice to know he is with people I respect.) He is leaving before long with the job corp. He got into the advance automotive program. He will spend a year in North Carolina and a year in Utah. We are gonna miss him something fierce, but I am also VERY proud of him. This is kind of a scary thing to go do, but it's also a wonderful opportunity. They will teach him a trade and pay him as he is learning it as well as giving him room and board.

Chris is spending his time lately loving and taking care of me - full time! He lost his job back in November. It's been a struggle. (Seriously, they DO NOT pay teachers enough!) But I LOVE having him around all the time. He takes me to work and carries my stuff in for me. In the evening he reverses that by carrying my stuff to the car and driving me back home. He makes sure I have what I need - clean clothes, a pleasant home, tasty dinner - to be successful. We are still evaluating all of our options for him. He's been talking about going back to school. I'll support him in whatever he does, but I admit to loving things just as they are right now.

So that's where we are at the moment. We are we going from here? I'm not sure. But I can't wait to find out!!