When I started GO! Gymnastics, the plan was that I would start teaching classes pretty much right away, as soon as the bus was completed. The problem? People seemed really excited about it, but not really willing to commit to monthly classes. So, we've adapted the program a bit, and I think we're more marketable now. We might not plan on going to the same schools weekly, but we're getting many people who are interested in bi-weekly or monthly sessions, so that's great! We've also had lots of birthday party requests, so we're on the right path with that, too. Here's the problem...I need to have a steady source of income. The bus is just getting up and running, and I can't support a two-year-old on what's coming in from the bus at this point. It's still growing, and I know it'll take some time before it'll bring in enough money for me to rely on it as my main source of income. I had a medium-sized freak-out a couple of weeks ago, and panicked when I looked at my finances. With some guidance from some very helpful friends and colleagues (you know who you are), I was able to stop my miniature breakdown and figure out a new plan. With that said, I had to go to Plan B (which is really more like Plan Q at this point...In talking to one of my friends, we decided that I've had more life experience in the last year and a half than most people have in a decade). I decided to go back to teaching.
Part of me had been avoiding getting my MN teaching license, because I remembered how painstaking the process had been in Nevada, and figured it would take awhile. In spite of that, I decided to apply to a couple of teaching jobs around the Twin Cities area. There were a few special education positions, and I figured it would be easier to get a SpEd job, than an elementary job, because there are more positions and not as much competition. I honestly didn't anticipate getting any callbacks, because my current license was an out-of-state license, and I'd been told it would take 8-12 weeks for processing. Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call the very next day from the Forest Lake School District. It was the special education director, and she was inquiring about my license. I answered her questions, and she informed me that if the school was interested in interviewing me, they would contact me directly. "Great," I thought, "I don't stand a chance!" Oddly enough, a few days later, I received a phone call asking me to come and interview for the position. I was excited, but also a little bit nervous. I haven't been on a teaching interview since I was pregnant! I frantically searched through the tubs of clothes I've been storing in the basement, searching for something that was professional, but not stuffy. I was thrilled to find my "teacher clothes" tub, and I decided on my outfit fairly quickly. When I went to the interview, I didn't really expect there to be many other applicants. I mean, it's November, and a special education position, 25 miles north of the Twin Cities. I was wrong, in that assumption. There were quite a few applicants, and they'd scheduled back-to-back interviews all day. "Well, crap," I thought, "There goes my shot! I don't even have a license yet!" During the interview, though, I really clicked with the principal, and other team members, and thought maybe, just MAYBE, I had a chance.
The next day, I got a text from my friend, and colleague, Janine. "You're totally going to get this," she said, "The principal called me for a reference!" I got butterflies in my stomach, because as much as I didn't want people to know it, I REALLY wanted this job. It seemed like a fit, and appeared to be exactly what I was looking for, which was a positive work environment, great kids, a steady income, and a daily routine. I'm a creature of habit, and I need a routine. That is one thing the bus hasn't been able to give me, and at this point in my life I really crave the consistency. Sure enough, the following Monday, I got a phone call from the principal, offering me the position. I was so relieved! This job is just what I need in my life right now, and I'm confident I will be really good at it. Now, of course, it's taken awhile for the paperwork to process, and all of the little bureaucratic things to work themselves out, but if all goes as planned, I will start next week!
Now, with that said, GO! Gymnastics is still very much in business! It's starting to pick up, and I've decided that, even though it wasn't my original vision, I will hire someone to do the teaching. That means I will simply do the planning. I will coach birthdays on the weekends, but I will not be instructing the day-to-day classes. That's okay! I don't always have to micromanage in order for things to be successful!
So, with the career conversation out of the way, let's move on to the fun stuff....Charley! I know I've posted about Charley starting school, and she is just beginning to get into the groove of things. She has been going 3 days a week, but will start full-time next week, when I start teaching. I dropped her off the other day, and a little girl shrieked, "Charley!" "Oh, hi Jaya, " she replied. I loved it. It makes me feel good that she's making friends and getting more comfortable. Apparently, she spent the last few days telling her classmates and teachers about the bald eagle we saw on Friday. Charley is very enthusiastic when she's talking about it, too. "We saw a bald eagle! Sitting on the merge lane on the highway! It looked at me (insert random number here) times!" It's cute. She can't stop talking about it at home either. It's okay, though, because seeing that bald eagle was a good omen and a positive sign for the future.
Alright, that's all for now! For the first time in a long time, I feel very confident and content with where my life is now, and where it is headed. More about other topics in the posts to come...
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