This month I decided I'd throw out a peek at what I do for a living... and how that fits in to some of the other the things I do on a daily basis... but first off, AMAZING NEWS... THE NEW RIDE CAME WITH SATELLITE RADIO. Siriusly, folks, if you know me at all, you will know that this was kinda like God's little gift to me. I love music. And finding some amazing old school hip hop stations, spending time with Mr. Ed Lover as I shuttle my children to and fro... it's a dream come true. Heck yes it is.
I am a behavior specialist in an elementary school. My job is really multi-faceted, and is probably the coolest job on the planet. I can't imagine loving a job more than I love this one. One of the things I do is provide support to our military students. I hold lunch groups for kids whose parents are deployed. I also meet individually with students who are really struggling with that absence. We journal, we compare shared experiences, we play with stuffed animals, and sometimes we get down to some of the nitty gritty stuff... like what if it's NOT awesome that your deployed parent is home now? Military kids are unique, and frankly, pretty damn amazing.
The other major piece of my job deals with behavior interventions for the kids in our school who struggle. I work with a lot of kids who have Asperger's, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Social Cognitive challenges, or general anger management issues. Kids who need a little extra training in how to function successfully. I sometimes feel like this is what I was made to do. I get these kids. My compassion outweighs my frustration, and allows me to be successful in teaching them. These are often the kids that people look at and think, "Hmph! If that were MY kid, they wouldn't be getting away with that kind of behavior." They are quickly judged and frequently misunderstood. They are always beautiful souls who respond to patience, love, and kindness mixed with consistency and achievable expectations. What could be more rewarding than that?
And of course, one of the biggest perks of working with kids is the unconditional love. It's pretty awesome to come in my classroom and find lots of positive affirmations on my message board.
A gal gets hungry during the day. These things are like crack. I can't leave them alone.
My elementary school is in very close proximity to my teenagers' high school. I use all three of our teens as mentors for my students. Then I scope out their friends, and find the ones who are also responsible, kind, successful, hard-working, and motivated, and I make them an offer they can't refuse: come over to my school and mentor some of my kids who really need someone like you that they can look up to, spend a little time with them once or twice a week, and then you will feel really good inside. I will also write you a letter of reference should you ever need one. It's an awesome way to help my students form relationships, while giving teens a sense of the world outside themselves. This young man in the picture just signed a full college football scholarship. I brought the student he mentors to his reception on National Signing Day. When a child tells me that a mentor gives them hope for their future, I know there is something good going on.
After work, I go home and see my Munchkins. There's homework, snacks, TV, playing outside... the usual. I love them.
My favorite workout is Les Mills Body Flow. I go three times a week, and everything about it is perfect. If you have never tried this workout, it's a blend of Yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilates. You should try it. I've even gotten my teens to do it with me... which is saying something, because those boys are all about weightlifting.
Lastly, it snowed. We don't have very snowy winters, so with two boys about to get their licenses, this was a golden opportunity. We headed out to a big empty parking lot and did donuts and threw snow around. Parenting teens is literally the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. When I raised toddlers and babies, it was exhausting in a different way... they just needed me for so many things. Teens are hard because they are inexplicably moody and emotional creatures, and I second guess myself all the time. So when we have these awesome moments where the moodiness disappears, and we get to enjoy the actual people that we are together... it's the best.
