I'm Baaack! And Some Other Things

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything. The reason is simple: I got sick. What began as a sore throat and cough right before fall break turned into mis-diagnosed pharyngitis which actually turned out to be pneumonia. I was taking the wrong antobiotic for 4 days but I was not getting better. My fever kept spiking to the 100's and I could not breathe. I ended up going to a different doctor who diagnosed me with pneumonia. So I thought that with this new antibiotic, everything would be back to normal in no time. Nope. Turns out, I was allergic to the antibiotic. I could not sleep, my joints swelled, I stopped breathing whenever I tried to sleep and I still have the shakes to this day. I honestly thought that I was going to die. After yet another trip to the ER, I got new antibiotics and an inhaler. Obviously, I did not die. But when I went back to work, I was still sick. On top of that, I had missed a lot of work. I missed my kids' testing week, I missed a week an a half of instruction, and I was lost. Since I couldn't leave the house during my illness, I turned in bare bones lesson plans so that kids could have some kind of review before their tests. After doing nothing for a few weeks, it was difficult for me to get back in the swing of working. I had things due, meetings to attend, and instruction to catch up on. I wanted to quit but I told myself "There is no way that this is the end. No way." With the support of the staff and God's grace, I'm....I won't say back to where I was but I am stronger than I have been in a long time. Teaching is NOT for the faint of heart. Although we may feel discouraged sometimes, we are slow to act on these feelings. What if I had quit? What would I be doing at this moment? What would my quitting accomplish? Leaving my kids without a teacher?

A few weeks ago, I attended a seminar with a friend. The speaker made a statement that I will never forget; "I am busy because I choose to be busy." I do what I do because I love it. There are nights when I stay up late researching for a unit. If I hated teaching, I would not be up so late. I would work the 830-4 schedule and turn off the teacher mode when I got home. On a typical day, I end up staying until 5 or 5:30. On some days, it becomes 6:30 or 7. But what some do not understand is that this is not just a job, this is my career. A career cannot be stuffed into a 9-5 bubble. It is impossible if you want to excel. I cannot give my kids 45% of my energy when they deserve 100% of it! Things are not going to be easy-peasy for the rest of my ride; I know that. But what I do know is that God has been, is, and will always keep me through it all. Without God, I am nothing and I would not be where I am today. I have a few things up my sleeve and with God's help, they will be fulfilled. <3