Change of jobs

As many of you may know, I decided to change schools this school year. I spent my first seven years of teaching at American Canyon Middle School (ACMS) teaching students with learning disabilities, and I really loved it there. My last year there, I went part time, teaching only 70% so that I could be home in the afternoons with the girls. I am one of those lucky people that has a 10 month a year job so I already get a lot more family time than most people in the business world do.

However, every year the position that I have as a special educator changes based upon student enrollment. When my caseload (or the number of students I am responsible for) varies, then the percentage of my position varies. This year, my position was cut down to 30% at ACMS, and then I heard it was eventually eliminated. So I made the decision to move to a new school, closer to home, in Napa.

The unexpected benefits of this was saving about $50 a month on my car insurance, as well as saving gas money. I am now looking at the possibility of saving some money on childcare because I am only 7 minutes away from home instead of 30 minutes away! Another unexpected benefit is a small weight has lifted off my shoulders in being so much closer to home. I feel like I can be there for my girls should something happen to them and I need to run home. Soooooooo many people were telling me about this aspect, but I was so fixated on the fact that I would need to make such a huge move that I couldn't understand the benefit of that. So to all you out there who told me that, "Yes, you told me so!!!"

Another big change about my new school is the position I am teaching. I will be working with students in special education still, but these students will need support within the general education curriculum. This means that they are higher functioning because they can access this curriculum, whereas with my previous students, I was teaching them the curriculum, but modified. Because I am supporting students in the GE class, I am currently no longer a teacher in my OWN classroom. This is a huge change. Instead of being the queen of my own castle, I am entering and exiting many different castles each day, just as my students would.  I need to learn the individual requirements of each class in order to help the students with their work. (Can you say, "Hello, 8th grade Algebra!")

As far as my resume goes, I feel that this new school will really help me expand my school experiences. I did my student teaching and volunteer work (2 years) in an elementary public school setting. I taught for seven years in a public middle school setting. And I was a dorm parent and school secretary for 6 years in a private high school setting. The new school I am working at is called The River School. It is a public charter school at the middle school level. Even though I've done middle school before, I have never done a charter school. It is so interesting to see how their governance differs from that of a public school, and to learn the different freedoms and challenges this school encounters because of it's charter.

All in all, I am really liking my new job. I have soooooo much to learn, and I have had a few bumps in the road like not having a computer or printer, passwords to the student databases, and getting my new "shared" room set up. But I am enjoying the challenge, and I hope that the students and I will both benefit from our work together.