The Silver Lining

I have a job!

In a weird twist of events, one of the teachers at Charlie’s school left. To help the transition, the woman who worked in the office went upstairs to help in the classroom, thus leaving a position open for someone to work in the office. Thanks to Stacey’s recommendation, I immediately contacted the director of the school last Monday and started working there on Tuesday.

Working at Charlie’s schools is, let’s say, interesting. At the beginning, it confused him. “Why are you working at my school?” he repeatedly asked on the way in on Tuesday. Throughout the day, he frequently popped by the office to say “Hi Mommy” and make sure I was still there. By Thursday, he was ready to spend the day with me in the office in my lap. By Friday, though, he finally warmed to the idea and understood that Mommy is working and he has to stay in his class. Once we got that taken care of, Spring Break arrived - just in time for our routine to be disrupted. So, I expect we will begin the process again on Monday.

I have to say that in any other circumstance, I would not like this job. I am doing basic office work, it is fairly disorganized, and the pay is low. The fact that it is (hopefully) temporary and that I get to spend more time with Charlie makes up for all of its flaws, though. I love being able to check in on him throughout the day. I am also excited to see what goes on in the school, learning about the Montessori method and getting know the happenings in the elementary classrooms. The people I work with are super-cool and laid back. It is a great atmosphere and I feel lucky to have found such a nice solution to my unemployment. Another plus is that I can take Henry to work with me. I probably won’t take him every day, but certainly 2-3 days a week. I am planning a trial run with him on Monday. Hopefully, he will continue to be his chilled out little self and I’ll actually be able to get some things done.

Aside from being with Charlie, my favorite part of last week was getting to participate in the elementary class’ Favorite Food Friday. The theme was round food and each elementary student brought in something round to eat. We had a feast! Some of the dishes included quiche, melon balls, bagels, and pie for dessert. There was so much food and the kids seemed to have a great time serving it. They were all so proud of their dishes and wanted me to try everything.

If everything works out, I’ll be able work there through the summer and begin teaching in a city or county school in the fall. And then it will be back to the grind of flying out the door in the mornings and rushing, rushing, RUSHING to get things done in the evenings so we can all get to bed so we can wake up and do it all over again. I happily embrace my current situation for now.