My New School

Last April, I was given a difficult choice to make.  I was just coming back from maternity leave and was offered the opportunity to interview at another school in my district.  The SLP who worked there was retiring and her position needed to be filled.  I weighed all of the pros and cons of leaving the school where I was and decided that if God was putting an opportunity in front of me, I needed to at least see where the path would take me.  I interviewed and was offered the job.  Then the big decision-making had to be done.  I had some reasons to want to make a change, but I won't go into those here.  I've left them behind me.  But, I still had some things that I was having trouble with.  Could I leave the friends that I had made?  Was I really willing to make another job change after only 2 years?  Would it be the best thing not only for me personally and professionally, but also for Caleb, who will start kindergarten next year wherever I am working?  After much prayerful deliberation, I decided that the change was one that I needed to make.

The school where I started to work on August 12th gives me the chance to spend much of my time working with children with Autism.  I have a journal entry from 1994 - my freshman year in college - where I wrote that I felt that God was speaking to me to use my work to help kids with Autism.  The opportunity to answer that call was placed at my feet and I had to take it. 

So, I'm working in a new school.  The first few days were a personal challenge.  The first day, I felt like a fish out of water.  I didn't know anyone and didn't fit into any niche.  I went to lunch on my own, didn't have anyone to catch up with after a couple of months away, didn't know the expectations, norms or school culture.  The whole first week was tough in that respect.  I was glad on Friday when my assistant came to work with me in our room.  (Yes, I have an assistant.  I've never had one before and probably will never have one again, but I am incredibly blessed to get to work with Kerrie.  She has done speech therapy for longer than I have and is an awesome person.  She was a big selling factor in me taking the job.)  Once the kids came to school on the 19th, things started to make more sense, but I still struggled with learning new duties, new personalities and new procedures.  I didn't start seeing kids right away - I'm still trying to get all of the kinks worked out of my schedule - but it seemed that everyone started working together and I was able to figure out a lot more.  My new bosses have been great.  Their expectations are high, but reasonable and they are personable and professional at the same time.  I feel comfortable with them.  I have met all of my students at least once, if not more, and I think I'm going to enjoy working with most of them.  (Nobody can say that they enjoy all of their students, but either way, I'll do my best to help them!) 

Here's to a great school year!