Bittersweet

I've been debating for the last week about whether or not teaching up until my due date was a good idea.  When I started my new teaching job in August, I thought, "Oh sure, I'll teach up until my baby is here!" Well here I am patiently waiting for Baby G to make his grand entrance...and I'm having second thoughts about my original plan.  It sounded good in August (when I was 6 weeks) because I knew I wasn't going to get paid for my time off, so why not work as many days as possible.  Clearly, I had no idea how exhauting the last month of pregnancy could be!  Over the past few days Duane and I have been discussing whether or not it might be a good idea to take a few days off before Baby G is here.  I knew I could use a few "mental health" days to relax and let my body prepare for labor (as much as it can).  However, I knew I would feel lazy if I took the week of my due date off and then Baby G decided to come a week late.  I was stuck!

Well today, I decided that tomorrow would be my last day before I start my maternity leave.  It's better for me, and better for my 6th graders as my patience is running thin (unlike my body!  HA!).  This is such a bittersweet feeling.  I am so glad that I will have time to rest and I am so excited to become a mama, but leaving my kids makes me sad.  I taught last year for a few months but my current class has been the first class that has really felt like mine.  Now it will become someone else's class.  These kids have grown so much during the past 6 months and I have loved teaching them.  Has it been easy, absolutely not!  If you don't know, I teach in a school that has about an 80% free/reduced lunch rate.  Our kids can be challenging and some days I want to throw in the towel and give up.  It is a lot of work.  Much more work then I've done in any other school.  Sometimes it's overwhelming and hard to keep going when you feel like theres too much to do and your constantly getting told by politicians that you are doing nothing and failing students.  However, the kids I work with need me.  They need someone to love and believe in them.  That's why I keep going.  That's why I love where I teach.  That's why I'm going to miss them like crazy!

I am so glad that I will have some time to rest (unless I go into labor in the next 3 days!) but am so sad to leave my kids!  I don't think they know how much they've impacted me this year.

Thanks for listening. :)

Sidenote: Baby G's letters to his name (that are going above his crib) came today!!!  It was so fun to see his name spelled out, ready to go up on the wall!  I can't wait to share his cute name with you all! :)