2/28/13

Hi,

I just thought I'd fill you in on a new happening here at home. I am now an official Davis School District employee, working for 1 1/2 hours each morning in Terri Wall's (Aubrey's) 6th grade class, as a teacher's aide. This has come about in quite an interesting way, and I feel that it is really an answer to a lot of pondering and some prayers. I have always kept my teachers license current all these 29 years since I left my teaching career for my mom career. But last spring I let it lapse, because it has gotten so expensive to take the necessary classes and pay the fees to renew the license. After it lapsed, Terri Wall approached me about the possibility of teaching a half day this year with her. The enrollment numbers were such that there was a possibility they would do a " 2 classes in the morning and one class in the afternoon" thing and she said that I was the one she would want to teach with. (This was a huge compliment to me because I have such respect for Terri as a person and as a teacher.) As it turned out, they didn't end up going with that plan, but it got me thinking. I didn't have a current license,, so I would have had to do everything to renew the license, AND learn the curriculum, AND learn how the schools work these days. Things are much different now in the teaching profession than they were back in 83-84. (Back in those dark ages, Roy Elementary was still using a ditto machine,, if you know what that is, rather than a copy machine.)

 

Then when Dad and I went to the girls' parent teacher conferences in the fall, the teachers were rattling off all these tests that the students had been given, and how to read them and what they meant. After the conference I commented to Dad how they didn't do any of those tests when I taught. I started to think that I should renew my license. It's always been a part of our life insurance plan for me to be able to step right back into teaching if the need arose. But while pondering all this for months and months, I realized that if any emergency were to arise where I needed to go quickly back to teach full time, I would be in way over my head. I would be dealing with the emotions of the emergency and helping our family to deal with those emotions, and also be learning a brand new way of teaching.

 

I was also trying to find the cheapest way possible to get the 100 points that I need to renew my license and I found out that I can count time working as an aide for 25 points per year for up to two years. So half my points could be earned without paying to take classes, and I could get paid a little in the process. Then, a little more than a week ago, I got a call from Terri. She has had about 5 new students move in recently and her class is up to 35 kids. The district had approved an aide for her class for 1 1/2 hours a day, and would I be interested. Well, I felt like I had been handed that opportunity on a platter. So I did all the necessary paperwork with the district and began this past Monday. I work from 9-10:30 every school morning, which is perfect because I still have a good chunk of time before the kids get home to accomplish things and spend time with G&G P.

 

It's been really good for me. It's a steep learning curve as I learn all the computer input stuff. So much is done on the computer and you all know how natural I am on the computer! But I am learning and getting faster. I am learning so much just being in Terri's class and watching how she runs her class. She is extremely well organized and she runs a tight ship, but she always speaks very calmly, but firmly and with respect to the students. When she first approached me, I asked Aubrey first of all how she would feel about me being there, and she was excited. That kind of suprised me. I thought she might have a problem with me being there.

 

So I am back in the schools, observing and working with and learning from an excellent teacher. I'm learning how the schools run, all about the testing, the computer, the grading system. I'm getting to know the kids in Aubrey's class. I'm earning points to renew my license. I think I can take the professional development classes that the teachers take for a very nominal fee now that I'm an employee, to get the rest of my points, and I'm earning a small paycheck each month, which always helps.

 

Anyway, I didn't mean for this to be an epistle, but wanted you to know what's been going on in my mind for the last little while.

 

I love you all,

Mom