Transitioning To Full Time Work

I’ve been quiet on the blog for a few weeks because I started working full-time and I have been too exhausted to write. It was really hard to make the decision to go back to work and it felt so big. I felt like I would be trapped potentially in the wrong place. The last time that I worked full-time, I had a really hard time leaving because they kept convincing me to stay. And I wondered quite often what possessed me to go back to work full-time in the first place. I wasn’t happy and was missing time with the kids.

The kids are older now and it’s a little easier to carve out the quality time when I’m home. And who are we kidding, when I’m home, half of the time, they’re either asleep or in the rooms so I might as well make money. 😁

Anyway, I agonized over three options but I finally accepted the more practical option and the one that felt like the best fit. It turned out to be a really, really good decision. I’m working at a place called Mainspring Academy. It is a school for kids with special needs. There are only six kids in each class. I don’t know if that is the law or just good decision making on the school’s part. But I definitely like it. Don’t worry, six boys still feel like plenty. 🤪

So I was hired to be a teacher’s aid. I was hesitant because I didn’t want to be bossed around all day like I was an idiot. But what I realized very quickly that this really is a school, not a daycare. The aids who they refer to as “Paras” are trained in everything that the teachers are trained in and we do the same things, except the planning and the documentation. Which honestly, is not a bad deal. The teacher I work with is a really nice guy, and while he technically can tell me what to do, he never takes advantage of it. I’ve worked enough nonprofit organizations to know that this one really its crap together and I’m so grateful for that.

My hope is to soak up all the experience, finish my degree and move up to being a teacher as soon as possible. Because obviously they make more money and I like money, haha. But, meanwhile, I feel so intellectually stimulated. I’m also working with some really great people and I’m definitely doing something that matters. ❤️