You really can go home again

Written yesterday but finished today due to becoming brain dead half way through.

Today was the first "first day of school" I've had in four years. I took a break from teaching when I had Katie Jo and have never looked back. Recently I have been itching to get back into it all, but through subbing. What a perfect combo subbing is. You get the adult interaction, a break from the norm, pick your days, and not have the paperwork/meetings/parent headaches. And you get paid. So when I decided to sub I also decided I would only do it at the school I taught at. That way I would know a lot of the faculty and the routine. That school was really my home and family in the early days. I loved the people I worked with and for. I loved the setting and the kids. It was my life before I had children.
Needless to say I felt very mixed about going back into my old stomping grounds. On one hand I was so very excited to see the people I loved but strange about my place since I wouldn't be a "real" teacher. It's hard to know where you fit in in a situation like that. The puzzles still the same but my shape is different and I had to figure out where to work it in.
Thankfully they were all overjoyed to see me and most had to stop to figure out what in the world I was doing there in the first place. I guess first day of school you really don't have too many subs! It was nice to show off my picture of the girls and catch people up on my life as it is now. Every where I turned I ran into old friends and co-workers. It was a surreal day.

And there was also the class I subbed for! I'm the assistant in a kindergarten class. Their assistant had surgery right before school and won't be back until after the first week of September. Kindergarten children are a different breed! They are so new to it all and needy. I taught fourth grade so it was interesting to be around this age now as a mother. I still love the older kids but I am enjoying this age group more now since I can understand so much more about the way they work. I really like the teacher I'm with and she is a nice combo of kind yet firm. I have to admit I was a little bored with all the repetition and practice that comes with the first day with five year olds. I kept looking at my watch and it was only 9:37 then 10:40 and finally 12:15. We didn't dismiss until 2:00 and dismissal took forever! I walked out at 2:50 and I thought I would collapse before I'd make it to my van. All in all it was a great day and I enjoyed getting back into the mix of things.

The girls did very well with their sitter. There are two other girls with the sitter that are from our church so I was glad for Katie Jo to know a friend. There's only five kids all together and they're all girls so I think it will work out to be a great situation. After this sub job I'll only sub one or two days a week and I think both my girls will enjoy the break of going to the sitter and playing with other children.

That's all for now!