CAUTION: Big changes ahead!!

Today was the big announcement day. And, honestly, the day I decided to make the change. I have a year to go until I complete my education specialist degree in administration. I'm hoping to some day be an elementary school principal. Since I began this degree, I have had a difficult time reconciling how I could be an elementary principal and not be able to sympathize or understand what regular ed classroom teachers go through on a day-to-day basis. Yes, I bring alternate (and very valuable) strengths to the table as a specials teacher, but I don't know how to be an instructional leader without having actually taught the core curriculum!! So I'm making a professional move. Next year I'm going to be a music teacher who is teaching second grade. Like, really teaching second grade. In a second grade classroom. By myself. With 20-something second graders. Not in the music room. Seriously -- I'm going to be a second grade teacher! Surprising...yes, I know.

I've shed MANY tears over this decision partly because I don't know how to separate myself from my identity as a music teacher --- it's who I am! So I'm not going to lose my identity. I'm still a music teacher at heart....just teaching second grade. And hopefully someday I'll be a music teacher who is the principal of a school. :-)

I have a FANTASTIC team to work with next year, and I'm SOO excited to learn from them! I'm already brainstorming fun themes for my new classroom....and you know that it will have something to do with music!! So while I'm so sad to let go of the program I've built at Robinson (seriously, I've cried a lot about leaving the music room and have promised my teammates next year that there are more tears to come), I really am excited for a new chapter. It's funny...I just remembered that in my first post I said that the number 8 in the Bible symbolizes a new beginning and that my 28th year is going to be my new beginning. God is proving to be true to His word.

I'm making this promise now to my future students and my Lord: Colossians 3:23 - I promise that ²³Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.

Thank you Jesus for your continued blessings and surprises! (I'm just as surprised as everyone else to find myself in a second grade classroom!) But I know Your hand will be with me.