Well, things have changed…

I am officially quitting my job tomorrow.  Am I going to be a stay-at-home mom, you ask?  No.  I am the modern woman and I am the clear breadwinner in my family.  I like owning my home, so that means I will be going back to work in August.  So, why am I quitting my job?  Because I got an offer I can’t refuse.  I, for the last five years, have been teaching social studies in schools that specialize in emotional disturbance and multiple disabilities.  This means that for the last four years, I have been teaching public school students in a private school setting because the public school setting couldn’t meet the needs defined by the students’ IEPs.  Yes, this is a really hard job.  Yes, a lot of my current/former students are in jail or mental facilities.  Yes, I know that I’ve lost one former student to violence, and I know that I have developed a bit of an obsession with the news to fulfill a need to know that none of my students are involved in violence.

I’m sure that you’re saying, “Jenn, you are crazy for staying five years!”  Maybe, but then, I found my job to be fulfilling.  I have also come to the realization that my job was negatively affecting my mental health, my relationship with my husband, and my overall quality of life.  Since having E, I have found myself to be more unwittingly open to emotion and more compassionate.  This isn’t a bad thing, but when I was having signs of depression this last winter and spring (I know the signs—it is a part of my job, you know!), I knew I was in need of a re-evaluation of my life choices. 

As some may know, I don’t apply to jobs willy-nilly.  Since being at High Road, I have applied for 3 jobs; I could afford to be picky because I liked the school I was at, and they liked me.  This summer, a job posting came across that caught my intrigue.  This school was also a school for special education students, but for students that had learning disabilities AND who were talented and gifted.  I had read good things about this program in the newspaper.  I applied.  I went through an interview, model teaching, and meeting with the executive director of the entire school.  They offered me the job, and today I called my (former) boss.