During the Summer of 2008, I married my best friend and better half, Brian (on 08/08/08!) That July he accepted a job transfer in Whiting, Indiana and we began a new journey together.
I got an 8th grade Pre-Algebra position in Northwest Indiana in an Urban district, very low income, very diverse and high gang involment- my suburbia bubble was burst the first time I walked into the school. Not only was I unfamiliar with the area, I (still an unexperienced teacher) had to learn and teach to Indiana state standards- I was out of my comfort zone.
Three weeks after school started, a nearby levy in a river that flowed through my city broke and we lost our house in a flood. I'm talking fourteen feet of water in our house, taken away in a boat, lost our house in a flood! I debated on quitting my job, my husband was making enough money for us to live comfortably and I felt I had been pushed to my limit. I took a week off of work- we had to find a new place to live, buy all new furniture, clothes, etc, but I did return to work.
The school I worked in was a 6-12 grade school with a 40% dropout rate, many students were passed along from grade to grade, becoming the new teachers "problem". I didn't even have a class set of books for my students! This is the reason I returned to work, I wanted my students to know that they mattered to me.
My stories from that year are never ending, but it ended up being a fantastic year and a HUGE learning experience that changed my view on teaching forever.
(above is a picture of me and Katie from 2008. She is the Valedictorian of her class of 2013- they are graduating in a few weeks, I am so proud!!)
That Spring I became pregnant with my baby girl, Mia, and decided for my next adventure to be a stay-at-home mommy. We moved to downtown Chicago that August and lived there for 2 1/2 years. Chicago is AMAZING , a must visit city!
While living in Chicago we became pregnant with our son, Macen, and decided to move back to Texas so we could share our babies with all of the grandparents.
Last May we bought a house in Katy and have been working on making it our home. Now that Mia is 3 1/2 years old and Macen is 16 months, we are ready for the next phase and challenge in life. This stay-at-home mommy is ready to be back in the classroom!
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