Summer Time

As a teacher, I don't have to work that much during the summer. Like all teachers should know, I don't necessarily get the summers off just because there are no kids in the building. I was in my new school a couple of days last week picking up the new math series. The school I'm moving to (and most of the public schools around here) are picking up the Envision math series. It seems like a great system, and I am a huge fan of Scott Foresman materials. The private school I'm working for ordered the student tablets. They are massive. There's no way that a Kindergarten or any grade for that matter is going to be able to use a tablet that size. Biggest mistake I've seen so far with the series. They didn't have any of the smaller versions of the student booklets available to order when our school ordered, so tablets it was. Each lesson is meant to be torn out of the tablet and folded for student usage. Poses a lot of work for me. I took home about 25 student tablets to start tearing out. At some point, I have head over to Walmart or Target and buy some storage bins to put all the student lessons in. Haven't found the time to do anymore tearing since last week.

I'll be able to move into my classroom probably at some point this week. I think I'll go by the school on Thursday to pick up my keys and start moving things over there. After I left my old school, I've been keeping all my school things inside a walk-in closet in my apartment. The closet is no longer walk-in, but more compacted with crates, boxes, rugs, and containers. I'm going to see what I need to bring before I start bringing everything, so I might set up the classroom first and see what that classroom has before I start making trips back and forth. Fortunately, I only live about five minutes from the private school, so it won't be that bad. Plus, I can come and go as I please, and I don't need to adhere to any security schedule. I can come in whatever hours I choose to since I will have keys to the building/room.

I'm looking forward to teaching Kindergarten again. I haven't done so since my student internship, but I've always loved that age group. I'm not sure the exact number of students, but I'm anticipating over 20. They should be a good group of kids though. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the pay cut. As of right now, I spend pretty much my entire month's salary minus about 200 dollars per month. My future salary is going to be about 500 dollars less per month, so I'm going to have to make some budget adjustments as well. Annually, I will be losing about 6400 dollars plus more expensive health and dental plans. Financially, it's not the best of situations, but since the current public school situation is an entire mess right now, it's better than zero jobs/having to sub all year.

I plan on decreasing my cable package soon in order to save a little money. Since getting Netflix, I don't watch that much television anymore, but I don't want to eliminate cable completely because there are still some programs I do watch. Plus, I love to watch hockey games when it's hockey season.  I'm sure I'll adjust, and if not, I'll probably end up picking up an additional weekend job or start tutoring at nights/weekends.

During the summer, I've picked up a couple of days of baby sitting. I'm fortunate to live somewhere where people are friendly and neighbors are actually friends with one another. I've been to plenty of places where neighbors avoid each other, but this apartment complex is not like that (well most of us anyways). There's usually about five or six of us that sit outside every night and just talk for an hour or so. In order to avoid having to take their kids to day care twice a week, I've started watching two little boys. It's not a bad gig. A little extra spending money.

Things have been going well so far this summer. I'm grateful I don't have to apply for jobs all summer long like I had to do last summer. I can just relax and enjoy what days I do have off.

This morning, I received a text from the boy that I've been talking to off the dating website. He told me that he hoped I had a great day babysitting today. That was nice of him. Perhaps he was just in a bad mood and tired yesterday. I don't know. Not going to read too much into it yet, but he still has to work on impressing me a little more. From what I gathered yesterday, it seems as if he's used the fact he's got a great job that pays a lot of money and has his own house have been his sole selling points on attracting women, and sadly, I could care less about the fact someone makes a lot of money and has a house. That's nice and all, but still not selling points for me. I'd rather be with someone who treats me amazingly and makes me happy that has little money than with someone who has tons of money and a home in a rich community who does anything less than put a smile on my face everyday.