Breaking Point

After possibly the longest seven weeks I've ever experienced, I finally get a week's break from work!  I found that keeping on top of everything was easy to begin with, but then all of the various illnesses hit one after the other.  After that, I found out that I wasn't keeping up with all of the demands that the new management team put into place last year while I was on maternity leave.  So after many late nights and very early mornings trying to get all of my work done, I am going to enjoy a week of rest and relaxation mixed-in with work (in preparation for the next seven weeks of school).

My original plan was to do a bit of work at night when Jackson goes to bed and take him on daily trips.  But when I made my to-do list for work, that plan is just not possible.  There were many days during this half-term that Jackson was at home with us because he was sick, and since we pre-pay for every month of nursery, I feel like that's another reason to take him in as many days as I need to in order to get my work done.  Although, I'm not going to take him in for as many hours as he usually goes (about ten) per day, but he will still get a chance to do crafts and play with his friends while I get work done around the house and all of the paperwork typed, printed, and highlighted for school.

My goal is to work ahead on the planning that took me the longest during the weekends so that I can spend more time with Jackson every week and more time going to church.  It's easy to push those things aside because if family time or church time is diminished, there's no immediate punishment--except for the guilt.  If work doesn't get done for school, then there will be a definite punishment and 26 children will be sitting behind blank desks with wide-eyed stares and I would lose my livelihood.

In university, training for teaching, some advice I was given was to handle everything in my power without complaining to the principal (head teacher) and to do as much work as I could at school, but then when I walk through the door at home, leave school-work behind me.  The latter is obviously not possible and I think it's because the former has been carried on for so long by the majority of teachers.  There are so many teachers chomping at the bit to take any job openings, so the pressure to hang-on to your job at any cost is definitely present.  In addition to this, head teachers must have the impression, year-after-year of piling on new requirements, that their staff are handling everything in stride.  This combination has really reached its breaking point for many in the teaching field as many of us barely see the light of day or have the patience or coherence left at the end of the day to be with our families.

Hopefully I can get ahead this week so that I can increase family time for the next seven weeks and maybe even enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas without thinking about my work to-do list in the back of my mind the whole time.

Opening more presents on Sunday--and relaxing after the big party day!

Playing with the conker necklace and bracelet after digging in the straw and pumpkin

At the play dough station, Jackson skipped the squishy, Autumn-scented dough and carried around two acorns the entire time.  No matter what room we went to, all of the teachers knew him by name and he was quite the popular little guy with his friends.

In honour of the new Troll movie, Jackson was our little Baby Troll through the aisles at Tesco.  He actually only wore this for about a minute, but we were happy with the amount of cooperation we got from a one-year-old.

Developmental updates:  Jackson was laughing a lot at nursery this week.  At lunch yesterday, his best pal and mentor, Arthur, told him to stop laughing, but that only made Jackson laugh even harder.  Then, he made his way to a mirror and sat and laughed at his reflection.  He also developed a new smile that shows all of his teeth and his chin points up to the air in pure delight.  Jackson has a new tooth that has cut through--his second right incisor.  He hates brushing his teeth, but we're hoping that one of these days he snaps out of his slump and likes the process again because he did for the first two weeks of brushing a couple of months ago.  In his Little Tikes Garden Centre, Jackson now crawls through the window to get out instead of through the door or slide as he always did before.  He loved all of his birthday presents, however, his favourite things to play with have been two balloons and a bow from a gift box.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.