How to Become a Preschool Teacher Without Really Trying

Since I last blogged, pretty much everything has changed again.  First of all, I moved from my temporary residence with Becky to a new house with two roommates that I found on Craigslist.  It's in a great location right near Passyunk Ave.  We have a living room, kitchen, dining room, three bedrooms, one full bathroom and two toilet-only rooms that nobody uses, a finished basement that smells like our cabin used to smell, a laundry room and a back porch area.  At first it was a bit discouraging because I guess I was expecting to just walk into a house that was already set up and not have to do any of the work myself, but it wasn't like that.  The girl who moved out apparently owned the microwave, all the eating utensils, and the Internet.  Well, it was in her name and she cancelled it when she moved.  So I went out and bought some cheap things to eat food with, decided to use the oven to heat up leftovers, and called Comcast.  I've now had the Internet and cable for four days and hardly know what to do with myself.

My job changed again also.  I'm back on a 9:30-6:30 schedule, which has its pros and cons.  I don't  have to get up super early, but the things I can do after work are limited (especially if there's something on TV that I want to watch. :-P)  I'm not working directly with the school agers anymore, either.  I think the last time I wrote, I said I was going to have to choose between school age and toddlers. But guess what!  I got what I wanted instead!  I have the older preschoolers (4-5 year olds).  There are only 5 kids enrolled in my class.  This also has its pros and cons.  I can do more things with them, but it's a whole different feel from what I'm used to.  My five kids are really smart, too.  I have at least one who I believe is ready to read.  Time to start working on word families! 

I see other kids throughout the day, too.  When we have to move around due to ratio, the younger preschoolers come over with my class.  There aren't many of them, either.  And the school agers come to visit.  Also, since I'm now there until closing, any older kids who are left after 6 come with me.  It's like a little community.

It's funny.  I often feel that I became a preschool teacher by accident.  When I first applied to Bloomsburg, I was undeclared.  Then I realized how many scholarships I could get if I did education, and since that was an area of interest anyway, I decided on Elementary Education.  Then it turned out that in order to be certified in Early Childhood, which at the time was birth - third grade, you only had to take four extra classes and pass the Early Childhood Praxis.  So I did that.  The summer after graduating, I started subbing for the CSIU because my mom works there.  When I didn't land the permanent teaching job everyone thinks they'll get, I was available to long-term sub for Head Start.  I spent five months teaching preschool in the same building as my mom, in this safe and nurturing place when I felt like everyone was on my side and I had the opportunity to learn and grow.  This experience prepared me for another long-term sub position with Pre-K Counts.  And then this summer, in the middle of my frantic annual applying-to-everywhere spree, I got an out-of-the-blue email from my current employer saying they were accepting applications.  So I applied, and interviewed - and here I am.

Teaching preschool in Philadelphia.

I believe there's a loving God who orchestrates the events in our lives to get us to the places where we need to be.  Sometimes we look like we're floating through our circumstances, but maybe it's really the hand of God gently guiding us.  Except when we need a shove.  Ready to hear something cool?

I received the job offer from Philly while I was actually on the way to Philly, for my Grandma's funeral.  When I received this job offer in Philly, it was not an easy decision to come.  I wrestled with the idea of leaving home, family, church, and everything I know.  In the middle of all this, I continued reading a daily devotional that I had, for some reason, pulled off the shelf where it had sat for years.  On July 18, three days after hearing that I was going to be offered a job, I read this in that devotion book:

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
-Acts 9:5-6

Wham.

Would you believe I still struggled to make the decision even after reading that?  The joys of being human.  I am thankful that God is patient and kind.

I guess that's the story of my career in a nutshell.  To anyone out there who's struggling to make a major life decision, hang in there.  God is perfectly capable of giving you the strength to do the thing you think you cannot do.

In closing, here are some pics of stuff around my classroom.  Sorry, no pictures of kids; it's against policy.  Just trust me when I say that they are cute. :)

 

P.S. Thank you, everyone, for the cards you've been sending.  I came home to three cards from church family today, and that just makes you feel awesome!