{finally} Back to School

It was weird not starting school at the end of August like we usually do. It felt especially strange after Labor Day when it seemed like everyone else was in school but us. Due to the closing of the middle school this summer and the elementary school's huge roof renovation project, our start date was delayed. The first day of school was set for Monday, September 15. But then the elementary school STILL wasn't ready, so they started one day later than the Jr./Sr. High School. I didn't like how my kids started school on different days from each other. 

Ammon is now a freshman at Salmon High School. I took him to freshman orientation the week before his first day of school. I can't believe I'm now the mother of a high schooler! I remember my own high school days, and it doesn't seem like it was that long ago! He has a pretty good schedule, with just one class he wishes he could change. Now that the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders attend the high school, he says the halls are super crowded, and he doesn't like having such young kids always around. It's a large span age/maturity-wise between 6th graders and seniors. Our school district has undergone a huge transformation this summer, and the effects of it are in both school buildings and are felt by all the students in the district. 

Ammon at freshman orientation

Jonah and Micah are in 5th grade, which is now a part of the elementary school (it was in the middle school before). There was a portable building with 2 classrooms set up on the grass next to the Pioneer school, and that's where 2 of 3 5th grade classes are taught because our elementary school doesn't have enough classrooms. This is the first time that the twins have been in separate classes, which we requested. We did this for a couple of reasons: I don't volunteer my time past 4th grade because the kids are maturing and don't like guest readers anymore, and also because Josh & I decided it would be better for them to be apart from each other now, because they're beginning to have multiple classes with several teachers throughout the day, and it will be good for them to transition to not always being with each other. Micah's homeroom teacher is Mrs. Baker, and Jonah's homeroom teacher is Mr. Chinske. They both have the same 3 teachers throughout the day, with the same subjects being taught by those teachers, but the homeroom classes are on a rotation, so they don't actually see students from the other classes unless it's recess or lunch. They come home after school and talk to each other about what the teachers said and did during the day--basically comparing notes, and I like it because they are more open to discuss what happened during the day this way, and I'm finding out a lot more about their school days without even inquiring or getting generic answers from them!

Micah, Jonah, and Kanyon on the first day of school

Kanyon is in 2nd grade. His teacher is Mrs. Wilkins, and he likes her. She is very structured and has routine and organization, which are very good for him and his personality. He likes his class, and he's so glad that his best friend Keagan is in his class again (for the 3rd year in a row). He is in Mrs. Schroeder's reading group, and he is enjoying school for the most part. He's been playing tetherball, then basketball, faithfully every single recess. He's adjusting really well to school this year.

New school supplies for the 3 youngest boys.
I swear the list of supplies gets longer and longer every year! 

I was unsure of what my job would be at school this year, so in the middle of August, I went in to the district office to inquire. They had no idea where I would be at that time. I was so irate because they never even informed me that I wouldn't be teaching music this year--I had to hear through the grapevine that I was no longer offered the job. It was such a blow, and it really hurt, and then to be informed that they didn't know where they would put me just irritated me. All summer long, people asked me what I would be doing at the school this coming year, and I always had to reply: "I don't know". I hated the unsurety of it all.

Three weeks before school started, I got a letter from the school district and my new principal saying that I would be a Title I para. I worried and fretted about having this position, because I knew that the students would be repeatedly asking me why I wasn't teaching music anymore. I also didn't want to feel like I was stuck at a desk all day with just 5 kids at a time (I'm used to moving around a lot!), when I felt like I could make a bigger difference. My hope was that I would be a kindergarten para. I wanted this for a few reasons: 1--I really like this age group, so once I earn my degree, I would like to teach kindergarten if I don't have the opportunity to teach music, and I thought it would be good training for me, and 2: I knew the young kindergartners wouldn't know me as the "music teacher" like every other student in the school, and they would accept me for the role that I would currently have instead of remembering me for what I used to be.

My first few days back at school were difficult--and that was even before the students were in school! I felt so displaced and so disheartened. It was weird helping other teachers getting their classrooms ready, and not getting my own all prepared. The first full week was hard for me; I broke down in tears twice. I have been assigned recess and lunch duty every single day, so the entire studentbody sees me several times a day. I knew the students would repeatedly ask me about not teaching music (which they did for WEEKS), but I wasn't prepared for how this would affect me emotionally. It tore me apart knowing that I was in a position that wasn't a good fit for me, while someone else who isn't as passionate as me about music filled my old job. I struggled, and felt like I didn't fit in anymore.

I got a father's blessing the night before school started this year, because I knew it was going to be challenging for me to return to school without having my beloved music teaching position. Every year, Josh and I offer the boys the opportunity to have a father's blessing before the start of the school year, but every year they've declined. This year, I felt impressed that we should all have them, and that perhaps the reason the boys always declined was because they didn't realize exactly the good that a Father's priesthood blessing can bring. So, I went first, because I really wanted one, and I wanted the boys to witness what exactly it was that they would get. I'm so glad I did, because it helped me immensely. I was told to not worry about my position this year, but to do my best, and that Heavenly Father was aware of my feelings and that I would be taken care of. Ammon got a blessing after me, and then the next night (the night before the other 3 boys started school), they all received one, too. I was really touched when Kanyon pulled a chair into the living room the next night, sat in it, and asked when it would be time so he could have his turn for a blessing!

I kept having faith, despite the discouragement I felt, that everything WOULD work out okay. At the end of the first week of school, I found out that since there were so many kindergarten students, and with having just one teacher this year (usually there's 2), they wanted to hire a full-time para to assist with kindergarten instead of hiring an additional teacher. I immediately went to the district office, and told them I was very interested in the position. By the end of the school day, I found out that I was officially transferred. I was overjoyed! It was exactly the job I'd been hoping and praying and wishing for! I've felt so much better about going to school every day since. Although it's not as fulfilling for me as teaching music was, I love the little kids and I like my job a lot!

I know that the father's blessing made a difference for me, and I'm grateful for the power of the priesthood in my home, and for the inspiration and hope that I felt as a result of the blessing! I must say, it's been a relief to not feel the pressure of teaching, and the responsibility of creating and preparing lesson plans on top of going to college, attending the boys' sporting events, doing the pumpkin patch, working at the salon, being a mother, and teaching piano lessons (did I mention that I started teaching piano again?!) this fall. I've even taken several days off work already, which I rarely did before because creating lesson plans for the substitute (and sometimes even finding a substitute to teach music) was so time-consuming!

Everyone in our family is exactly where they need to be at this point in time! We're glad that school is underway (summer was MUCH too long this year!), Josh and I are happy that we have jobs and insurance because of our school jobs (he's driving bus again), and the boys are doing well in their classes.