My Nephew and New Events

Dear Followers, yes, all three of you...

Thanks you for sticking around, even when I have very, very, dry writing spells.

To the three of you and any others that may find themselves at my blog, I have a few things to catch you up on.

1.  I was going to become a momaunt this June.  Everything was set and ready to go.  I was making plans.  I had friends and family supporting me, wanting to throw me a toddler shower.  I had finally made friends with this new life change.  I was going to open my tiny home to my two year old nephew.  (He will be three in August.)  I had a party planned, play dates, and pool parties in the works.

However, I will no longer be getting my nephew.  His other grandma changed her mind.  I cried.  I was sad.  I was hurt.  But, I can only believe that it is for the best.  Now that I will not be getting my nephew, time in my summer has been opened up for the next 2 events.

2.  I am finally taking my best friend's little sister on her high school graduation road trip... a year late!  We will be taking a lovely trip to Colorado and we will stop in Utah on the way.  I think that we can find many great things to explore!

3.  I am going to be heading back to the Czech Republic this summer.  I will be going with my old church and will be co-leading the team again.  I love working this summer camp!  I made so many great friends last summer and we really had a ton of fun teaching English and trying to learn Czech.  That is no easy task!

4.  As you know, I am working my way to 50 half/full marathons by the age of 50.  I am in the double digits now and that is great!  Something even more fabulous, is that I have been asked to join a running company here in So Cal as an ambassador.  I will get to work with people in the running community.  People like me... who are runners, but do it for fun, for health, and for a great challenge.  I get a cool team jersey that I will wear to all of my races and if I run a company run, I believe that I get a free entry.  Of course, I will also be responsible for spreading the word about this running company and their awesome events.

I am just one ambassador of many on Team Superhero.  I know that we are all very excited to help Ken and his wife Sabrina out when it comes to promoting Superhero Events LLC.  Hey, we are on a mission to save the world one run at a time, after all!

Remember that Awesome 80s run I did last year at the Rose Bowl? This company made that happen.  I am excited to be running that again this year with a few friends.  We will also be running the Costume Party Run (1/2 marathon in San Diego).

If you get the chance, check out our races:  Superhero Events

We are on Facebook and Twitter.

You may also click on the Super Hero Event widget on the right side of my page!

5.  School is almost out!  That is right, we only have 19 school days left.  I cannot believe how quickly it has all gone.  It has been a bit of a rough year, so I am super excited for 2 weeks off before summer school!

Enjoy the last few days of coolness!

Teaching

No one said it was easy, no one said it would be this hard.

I wanted to be a teacher at a very young age and I carried that want throughout my adolescence and into young adult hood.  I went to college as a Liberal Studies major and I graduated as one as well.  I believe I am the only one in my group of friends that did not change my major.

I studied, I prepared, I took expensive state tests.

I moved to Europe, took more classes.

I moved back to California and started my credential program.

I graduated, I took more expensive state tests, and added more debt for my teaching credential.

I applied to over 250 jobs, had only 2 interviews in a 2 1/2 year period.

I finally got hired, part time, but it was a job!

That part time job was last year and I have loved it since day one.  Although I knew that teaching was not an easy profession by any means, no one said that it could be so hard.  No one said how tired you might get.  No one said how attached to students I would get.  No one told me that as much as I love my students, they might also frustrate me to no end.  No one said that I would get frustrated with myself, for being frustrated with my students.

No one said, that seeing friends would be harder because I stay late at work.  That a dating life would be non existent.  No one said that when the weekend comes that I would want to stay home if possible, to recharge.

But then again, no one said it was easy.

Don't get me wrong, I love teaching.  I believe that it is a part of who I am.  I get so much joy from seeing my students during the day.  Seeing them work hard on their projects.  Sharing a few laughs, sometimes 'your mom' jokes. It is a blessing and a curse.  Your whole person is enveloped with 'teaching'.

It is just that no one said that I would be so invested, so intertwined with my school... with my students.  I didn't realize how protective of this place I could be.  That I would be filled with agitation, with semi rage as some board of directors threatened to take my students from me.  A group of people that don't know anything about my students, who they are, where they come from.  A group of people that don't look at the facts.  A group of people that make decisions without weighing the consequences.  A group of people that could basically care less, but try to look like they do.

No one said that I would learn so much about myself in the process of teaching others.  No one said that that might be the hardest of all.

But then again, no one said it was easy.

We get to keep our school for now.  We'll face many more oppositions as we go down this road of the political education system.  I will become frustrated many a time, I am sure.  I am thankful for that.  I am thankful that I have a challenge.  I am thankful that I will stand up for my students who will someday forget who I am.  I am thankful that I will fight for a school, a school that has given me more than I can see now.

 Sure, no one said it was going to be so hard.

But then again, no one said it was easy.