"God must love the common man, He made so many of them..." Abraham Lincoln

Friday, May 1, 2009

Such a Slacker...

I know, I know. I’m such a slacker. Honestly, my blogging intentions are good but I just can’t seem to find the time lately. Part of the problem is that I have short-timers syndrome what with Election Day right around the corner. Soon my school board seat will have another seat in it. Another part of the problem is that I have budget blues. But in this day and in this economy, who doesn’t? Another part of the problem is that my husband is taking Master's classes. When Pa takes classes, Ma loses her free time.

My mom and my grandma were teachers. Mom taught first-graders because she loved the experience of teaching them to read. Even years later, long after she’d officially left the classroom, she would talk about how wonderful those moments had been. Grandma, on the other hand, liked teaching older kids and spent her days teaching middle school English and running the high school library. Between their combined efforts, I can read and I can diagram sentences!

My mother-in-law and my husband are teachers. Mom recently retired after a long kindergarten career. How she managed I’ll never know. Two classes of kindies mean double the students, double the work, and double the show ‘n tell. She’s certainly earned her stars ‘n bars and a retirement check. Rick, on the other hand, is just starting his teaching career after spending the last 20 years in another industry. He’s subbed all over the place and has now realized how tough you actually have to be to teach kindergarten! With the way district budgets are looking, he’ll probably have to sub for another year or two before getting a for-real classroom job.

I’m so thankful to have been part of the public school system as a student, as a room-mother, as a fun-run helper, as a cookie lady, as a field trip chaperone, as a sports fan, as a band patron, and as a board member. When I ran for the board four years ago, I didn’t have any personal agenda or vendetta. I just wanted to be part of a system that has done so much for my family and I felt the need to pay it back and pay it forward. Serving the community has been an extraordinarily satisfying and rewarding experience. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

1 comment:

Marie said...

When you put your blog book together, I want to purchase a copy! I enjoy your thoughts and your writing style.