Too cool for school...wait I guess I'm not

So another year has begun. This is my fifth year teaching first grade at Iron Springs Elementary. After this year I will get a pin from the district for five years of service and then it will all have been worth it. I hope you can hear my sarcasm. I really am excited about this new school year. Last February I started entertaining the idea of leaving the school for a stay at home teaching job. I interviewed and was offered the job. Because I was actually thinking I was going to take it, when I left the school on the last day in May I said goodbye to my classroom. I thought the next time I see this place I will be packing up my things. Because the school was built when I was hired I am the ONLY person to ever teach in my room. I have taught over a hundred kids how to read and write in that room. I know you are thinking this is getting mushy but I SERIOUSLY started to panic. I want to be at home with my kids. I want to be the one to drop McKoy off at preschool and rock Mataya to sleep. But for some reason my body decided to react to stress regarding Mataya's health and the decision to leave my secure job, for something I might hate. I freaked out basically and had to seek professional help. (Those of you reading this that might have your child in my class- breathe easy. I am totally back to normal now. Well as normal as I'll ever be.) Anyway, after MUCH debate, and when I say MUCH, I mean months of craziness, I decided to stay at the school. I looked into the stay at home thing and decided it wasn't for me. Everything I hate about teaching such as travelling for professional development, computer work, grades, graphs, charts, emails, is what the stay at home thing is all about. It's like computer management for students which is not me. And they work in the summers which is against my morals. I have a strict no summer working rule. I leave my school in May and don't return until August. I know there are teachers out there that are way dedicated in putting in extra hours but not me. (Now people will probably pull their kids out of my class.)Plus I don't know what kind of mom I would be if I was trying to work an 8 hour day and trying to give my kids attention. I love being in the classroom and getting to know my students so well, we cry when we leave each other. (Sometimes tears of joy-JK I'm being so sarcastic today) Anyway, my wonderful neighbor that does the stay at home job thing was so great to help me get the job and then I turned around, and turned it down. What a crazy I am! But I know I made the right decision for me. The reason I know is because I am able to finally sleep at night without running to the bathroom constantly with diarrhea. Sorry, too much information as usual. I think this year will be soooo great. My sister is tending my kids for me which is another story. But I couldn't be happier because my kids love her and she loves them. Mataya seems to be doing well health wise and so I must say this year will be great! You are probably thinking I must be taking some kind of medication to be this positive about life, but I'm not! It took a while, but now I know if I have to work to provide for my family, it's going to be in the classroom. Yay!