Barring any unforeseen occurrences, tomorrow is my final day of employment with the Des Moines school district. I'm sad to leave my kids behind and some of my co-workers, but I have had almost nothing but trouble dealing with the bureaucracy here. YUGGH! And I just found out today that my best pal at work -- who's probably been teaching in this district for almost as many years as I've been alive -- has had the rug yanked out from under her, too... she had applied for a transfer to another high school, was told by official sources that she'd gotten the position, and now has been told her position was given to a coach and that the position she just left had been given away to someone else as well. I think that teaching for this district has been like sleeping in a rattlesnake nest, and I'm not sorry to leave it behind.
Now comes the fun part: where am I going to be working now? It's likely going to determine whether we stay or go.
If we end up in Texas, Rick has given his resumee to a large inner-city ministry and could possibly work for them. The pluses to working for this group are: housing is provided (in an apartment complex where we would be expected to begin a ministry work), transportation is provided, and most other necessities would also be provided. One of the main drawbacks that I can think of right away is whether or not we want to actually live in an urban environment again. I had kind-of gotten my hopes up about living in a rural or semi-rural location. I haven't been happy with the effect that the urban peer group has had on my eldest child's behaviors and preferences. But I don't know that it would be any better anywhere else, either. Home-schooling is unfortunately not an option anymore (if we do the ministry angle) because I have to work somewhere that provides health insurance for our needs (and they are Legion). Most ministries don't provide this.
Another big plus to apartment living is that we'd be forced to downsize our stuff. I have SO wanted to do this! Rick would be forced to turn loose of those gazillion books we've been toting around that are so totally useless. Keep the classics and the valuable stuff, but the dumb 1970s religious paperbacks need to GO AWAY FOREVER. He always gets really defensive and irritable when I mention getting rid of the books, though, so I have quit saying anything about them. He's certainly got a point about my junky habits, but the difference with me is that all my crap could go away tomorrow and I'd either 1)never miss it or 2)be thrilled to wave goodbye to it. I'm not attached to stuff.
A big minus is that I'm the kind of person who needs space to do my projects, and there ain't no space in an apartment. I might have to rent a studio somewhere or something, just to do my things.
Okay, that's enough rambling. I have no idea what tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year holds. I just have to TRUST.
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