Woah! I'm Back! Sort of....

**Waves**

Hi Everyone!!!!

I've been noticeably absent for.... a while... years.... too long.

What happened??

Well, I decided my family needed to come first so I changed my entire professional field! Gasp! It wasn't easy. It wasn't an easy decision. I made it happen so I could spend more time with my family and be more involved in my son's education.

I swapped from the Medical Staff Continuing Medical Education Coordinator to (drumroll please.....) Middle School Math Teacher. Bam. For the last two years I've been attempting to navigate the insane world of Middle School Mathematics. I've taught two years of 6th and 7th grade math for one of the rural PreK through 8th grade schools in my parish. It's been tough... The word "tough" doesn't even touch how hard it actually has been. That first year was a beast. Rawr! Beast. But I survived. I need a t-shirt that says, "I survived teaching my first year of middle school."

So now I'm entering my third year and things are looking up. I've got a great routine going. I've got my classroom procedures basically nailed down. I'm learning day by day how to navigate the 31 IEPs and 504s in my classroom. I'm learning how to help 7th graders who read at a 3rd grade level. I'm struggling to come to grips with the (stupid) state mandates that our school is forced to deal with.

Overall, I love my kids. My kids are the bomb! I'm sooooooo happy that I made this life-changing decision. Granted, I've never worked so hard in my entire life, BUT I'm at home more. No late night meetings at the hospital. No hour commute (one way) to work. I'm with my son (technically, he's right down the hall in the elementary building). Yes, I cried a few times in my first year because of frustration <that's an entirely different book-long post for another time>, but I survived. My life is better because of this life-altering change.

I have much to learn but overall, I'm LOVING it.

I'm hoping to spend more time blogging in the upcoming year. Some things may include school discussions and my usual mommy-dom rant or story. Bare with me. I love you guys! Xoxoxoxoxox

~Kayla