Prior to the tournament, it had been snowing like crazy with high winds. See the effects below:
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| There are several peaks and valleys to cross going to and from school. Here, I'm venturing back home. |
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| Our path is pretty treacherous. When coming to school I usually just point my feet straight down that last snow peak and hope for the best. It's my way of getting a tiny bit of skiing in every day. Recently, Mary visited and quipped, "Oh, good, I see your path to school has gotten hillier." |
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| This is supposed to show you how high the drifts are. The van in the background was snowed in for a while. |
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| This is why the van was snowed in. See the cord running to the truck hiding on the other side of this drift? |
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| The van, resting. Now, the van is in use and the truck is in the shop. |
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| Joe dug out stairs for us. You can see to the left where I still skied down. These are long gone now. |
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| March 20th - the first day of spring! Light and fluffy snow came down on and off all day - perfect time to do taxes with some hot cocoa. |
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| Daily, I wonder if I'll be impaled by the deadly icicles that loom overhead at the teacher housing. |
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| As of 9:20 am, March 21st, this is our playground. Happy Spring to us! |
As I write this, I'm waiting for parent teacher conferences to begin. I am both looking forward to getting them done with and also dreading them, but for the same reason: I've decided that this is my last year at this site. Next year, I am transferring downriver to another village in the same district. I've told all the kids, and I'm hoping some of them have told their parents because I am not going to enjoy repeatedly informing parents that I'm not returning.
I nearly gave up teaching completely this spring. I see now why it's hard to retain teachers anywhere - this job is hard enough without having to please parents, state testing organizations, and whoever all else, as well as teach behavior. Actual learning feels like a bonus to the day. I was all set to find a beach, figure out how to bead jewelry to sell and give that a shot for a while. However, I decided that maybe I should try another site before jumping ship completely.
I'm comforted by this move in that I was invited by the administration and teachers of the other site to transfer there, their attendance is higher, and the community is warmer (figuratively, not literally. Don't get too excited!). Also, I can make a fresh start in a place where I understand the culture better and know what I'm facing with two years of experience. A mentor of mine, whom I ran into at the science fair (where my two girls got second in display!) told me never to miss an opportunity to reinvent myself. His statement stuck with me, especially since he had my job at my current site a few years ago, and said that it's not a place that fosters growth. I've decided that he also may have meant that this place might make me tough, but it won't help me to thrive professionally. With that in mind, I made the move.
It will be so hard to leave the friends I've made here amongst the staff, the parents, and the students. It breaks my heart that I won't have a few certain students next year, or that Leah and Shelly and I will not be able to have girls' night anymore. Or that Shelly's husband Josh, who is like my brother, and I won't be able to joke with, bug, and support each other throughout the day like we've done this year. Or that Debbie, the secretary, will no longer make fun of my running around like crazy in the mornings and laugh her hysterical laughter. I can only pray that a better teacher replaces me, and that better things are ahead. I have a feeling that they are, as well as new challenges.
With that, I must prepare for conferences.
Happy Spring everyone!
