Back to school?

Well, I guess it’s time I get back to school. I had an extended assignment at the primary school for several weeks before the Christmas break but have not been back since.  That all ends next Tuesday when the 6 a.m. phone calls start again that will send me to one of the four different school campuses. I don’t really have to work, and in some ways am reluctant to go back, but I do like being around the kids and it’s always an adventure and a great learning experience.

When I started substituting last year I wasn’t really sure if I would be able to handle the job or the kids but I made it through the year without having a nervous breakdown and without choking the life out a couple of the kids at the high school. This year has been much easier.  It was difficult as a newcomer being accepted into this small community. All of the teachers and faculty know each other and have been working together for years, they’re a tight knit group and in some ways very guarded and reluctant to get to know someone new. They also have children or grandchildren in the school system so they are very protective of who their children are exposed to. It amazed me the first time I went to the high school, the entire faculty knew each student by name. Most of the kids will go from preschool to graduation with the same classmates.  This confused me at first when I thought of my school experience and how many people came and went through my life as I grew up but there is such a strong sense of community here, a feeling that you belong to a family.

This year has been different. I was asked to come back as a substitute and was informed that numerous teachers request me when they are gone. The faculty at all of the schools now know me by name and are willing to take the time to chat. They ask about the boys and Kim, they know that we just moved into a beautiful new house, they know that Jesse is in the army now and that John’s grades have gone from C’s and D’s to A’s and B’s. The kids all call me Miss M and I don’t remember the last time that I made it through the grocery store without getting a hug from one of my kids from school. It’s a wonderful change.

I let the schools know that I would be taking some time off and would call them when I was ready to go back. We bought a wonderful house right before Christmas and decided to wait until after the first of year to move into it.  We spent several days cleaning and putting a fresh coat of paint on all of the walls. Fortunately we bought all new furniture so there was very little moving to do, just the kitchen and our personal belongings. Then there was three acres of land to be cleaned up, remnants of Ike. Luckily the county came by and cut the larger trees that were down and hauled them off, eighteen truck loads, but there is still a lot of clean up to be done. My new greenhouse is begging to be filled, and I’m still trying to decide where my next garden will be located. I’ve trimmed bushes and pruned the roses but I need to get the tomatoes and hot peppers started so they’ll be ready to be placed in the new garden. My avocado tree needs to be planted as does the pineapple we’ve been growing for the past two years.  My strawberries need to be moved from the old house to the new before the weather starts getting too warm to transplant them. The fence around the barn needs to be repaired before we can adopt a horse. It’s a wonderful home that I’m reluctant to leave. It’s a wonderful life that I am thankful for every morning when I wake up.

But it’s time to go back to school. The phone rang every morning last week, “are you ready to come back yet? Every campus has requested you today.”  Finally yesterday I let her know that I’ll be available starting next Tuesday, her response made me smile because it was a response that would rarely be used anywhere other than Texas, “praise Jesus.” I love my home but I do miss my kids.