His Perfect Timing

I’m counting down the days until Robert and I return to WV for the summer! I miss my family, friends, and just familiar sights and routines. It helps that we have had visitors during this spring semester since we have not had the chance to make it back home like we did in the fall. My parents visited us 2 weeks ago for their Spring Break. It was wonderful having them here, but I regret not getting to spend much time with them during the day because of work. They were able to visit more of Gainesville than both Robert and I. They visited the Botanical Gardens, Butterfly Garden, and Palm Point Park (slightly east of Gainesville). Mom and I got pedicures and we were all able to go to Crescent Beach on Saturday even though it was calling for rain. It didn’t rain on us, but the wind was crazy enough to wreak some havoc on the trip. I was picking sand out of my ears for the next 3 days!

My best friend Rebekah and her husband Troy will be visiting us next week, just before my birthday. They can only stay a few days, but I’m thankful they will be visiting. Then the week after that, Robert’s mom and sister will be staying with us again for a week! Robert will be done with school next Wednesday, so they offered to come visit and keep him company before we make the drive back.

Work is going pretty well for the most part. I had a pretty rough day last week with an unhappy parent and an openly honest work related conversation with the assistant director that was hard to hear, but all is well and things were resolved. I’ve been praying multiple times every day asking God to open my heart to His will and lead me where He wants me to go in my teaching career. I am feeling burned out and I haven’t even really started yet. I still get excited about trying new lessons and activities with the students I work with in the afternoons, but I’ve come to the conclusion that being in a pre-school setting full time is really exhausting me and what little passion I have left for teaching.

I went to college to learn how to teach elementary level students and I haven’t been able to do that this year. I was really hoping I could teach third grade at the Academy in the fall, but after weighing my options, I’m not so sure it’s the best fit for me. I’m thinking public school or private that offers healthcare might be a better option. Academy does not offer any kind of healthcare and I have to take that into consideration because I can only be on my parent’s plan until I’m 26. I have the option to join Robert’s plan through the University of Florida, but it would be very costly. Another reason to work in public schools is yearly pay. Academy does not provide a yearly payment plan for their elementary teachers, so I would have my summers off, but I would also not be getting paid from the end of June until the end of August.

So healthcare and yearly pay are some of my more major concerns, but I also have some minor issues with private school. Academy is still a fairly new school and constantly changing and making adjustments to meet the needs of students and families, which is great! That being said, they are probably not the best place for a first year teacher like me to begin my teaching career. It’s obvious that the preschool is well-established, but as for the elementary side of the school, it simply just doesn’t rank as high on the priority list. It has a lot of potential for growth and maybe in a few years it will be a better fit for me when I have more experience. Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section!

I miss you all and look forward to seeing you in a few short months! Thanks for reading 🙂

Blog#9