Week Two...

Well, I just got through the second week of the new school year.  The students, who are always so quiet and polite that first week, are starting to find their voices.  They are making friends and starting to figure out how much they can get away with in my class.  It has been a little crazy trying to teach them what our schedule will be like during this school year.  The first two weeks of school were both short weeks for them and I have tried to fit in as much as I could.  It was a little chaotic.  I am looking forward to a real week of school.  I am making it my goal to show the students exactly what our weeks will be like.  I also only have week to teach them exactly what to expect before I start getting observed by the principal.  I just don't have a lot of time to teach them when to be as quiet as possible, get them into the habit of raising their hands, etc...  This is my last year as a probationary teacher.  I just have to get through this last year of observations and then I don't have to do them every single year.

 I have told most of the co-workers that I am close to about my decision to look for another teaching position.  They have all been very supportive and they understand that my main reason is a financial one.  I have even been able to arrange a few recommendation letters.  I have not discussed this with my principal yet, though.  I am still trying to find the best way and time to let her know.  I also want to tell her in a way that will allow me to keep my job if I don't find another one.  I am planning on asking her for a recommendation as well.  I just don't know if I should wait until after she observes my lessons.  I am hoping to have my resume updated by the end of December.  I figure that jobs won't start being posted until March, but I want to give myself plenty of time in case something opens up.

In addition to another teaching job, in another district, I am looking at jobs outside of teaching.  I haven't told a ton of people about that one though.  If I do look for a different type of job, I would focus my search in California.  I want to be close to my family, as I have said before.  I have been living in Utah for just over two years now and it still feels like a temporary situation.  I don't feel like I have any real ties here.  I have no family here.  I have one really good friend here; but she just got married and that could lead her anywhere in future.  I love my co-workers, but I need to do what is best for me.  I am still a young-ish, new teacher.  This is the time for me to be making these choices.  I don't have a lot invested in retirement, education (other than my credential), and experience.  If I make a switch, I won't be losing out on a huge amount of money.  Mostly because I am now a third teacher working on a first year teachers salary schedule.  We will see how all of this turns out.  I am guessing nothing will turn out the way that I want it to.  That is based on my past experiences.

I wish that California was hiring teachers...or that my family would just move close to where I am.  I know that it their plan for the future.  However, that plan is really far off; like after my Dad retires.  It used to be that if you moved to California you were stuck there.  The state, while it had a hire cost of living in some areas, paid better and had more opportunities than other states.  That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.  People are still leaving California because of the job market.  I really think it will be the very last state to recover from all of this.  If I did go back to California, I wouldn't do so until I had a job already lined up.  It would need to be a for sure thing.  It would need to pay enough that I could afford my own place and everything that comes with it (bills, loans, etc...).  Right now, it doesn't seem like I will be able to make that move next year.  Maybe if I can get into a district that pays a little more, just enough so I can actually feel like I am putting money into savings, things will be better here.  Maybe that will help me feel better about staying in Utah for a while longer.

It would be nice if I could find away to get to California more often.  I have a few short breaks during the year that I would like to be able to use to travel there.  So far, I have been really fortunate to be able to drive home  at Thanksgiving and fly home at Christmas.  I just don't know how I will make that work if my current district doesn't start paying us more.  I need to be able to go home.  I miss my family all of the time.  I wish I could have the ability to go home when good, and bad, things happen.  I totally would have gone home if I knew that Kody was sick.  I wish I could go home for birthdays; instead of just using Skype.  Don't get me wrong.  I am really grateful for Skype.  It makes it a lot easier for me to stay up here knowing that I can see my family every week.  When I first went to college, it was really hard for me to be away from home.  I didn't have a cell phone yet.  All that I had was a phone card with a certain numbers of minutes on it.  It was a really difficult time in my life.  I sort of feel like I am heading back to that feeling.  Wanting to be home so bad, and not being able to get there.  :(

Until I figure things out, hopefully soon, I just have to focus on work.  I will still continue to miss my family and mourn the loss of Kody.  I just have to get through each day.  I just have a feeling that this will be a really long year for me.  It is a good thing that it seems like I have really great students this year.  If I had another year like the last two, I don't know if I would be able to make it through everything.