Teaching is Hard.

     Teaching is hard. I am a paraprofessional so I don't actually have to teach ALL the time, but I do teach often. I was actually a short term substitute for 6 weeks a few years back as well. I had to plan and teach 4 different classes (3 science classes and math for personal finance) and it was a juggling act. But I was already the para in those classes, I was familiar with them, with the kids, and I was not new to the school.

     My friend Alex (Travis's friend Alex) just got a job as the new lifeskills teacher at LHS. She was only allowed to move into her classroom on Thursday. School starts on Monday. She is brand new to the school and the program was mixed with transition last year. So this year it will look very different. There will be brand new students coming up from the middle school and again, Alex is brand new to the school. And things are a mess. But Alex is amazing, I am sure she will do great. 

     She did text and ask if we could come to offer "tall help" in getting the classroom organized. Since Alex is one of Travis's favorite people ever (and I also think Alex is pretty great) we went to help out. Travis was also very willing to offer a hug and some moral support. 

    Friday we didn't work at all. I am sure there was more that could have been done, there always is, but having a break is good too. So let me say it again, I didn't work on Friday. At all. Travis and I went swimming with Alex. I put this picture in because I love it. I have no idea what he was doing, but he stepped back off the diving board, sort of posed like this, and I found it really funny. 

     Travis has always loved jumping into pools, but he had way more fun bouncing on the diving board before jumping in. He did this for hours. He would jump in, get out, bounce on the board for a while and maybe request a song on the radio, then jump in again. When I told him it was time to get out he did what he used to always do at his swimming lessons, he got out, ran back to the board and jumped in again!

      My plan currently is to not work next week. Well, school starts on Monday, so my plan is to not work on dolls next week. I need some time to reacclimate to getting up gross-early and I will need to adjust to the new schedule. This year will not look like last year. Thankfully, nothing will really ever look like last year. But some down time will do me good. And I think I can do it.