It Starts With Two: The Bishops: I Love my Job!

I cannot say enough about how much I love being a teacher. If you asked me what career I would have if I wasn't a teacher...I would just - *blank stare*. Seriously, I have NO idea what I would be if I wasn't a teacher. You know when you get that feeling that you were born to do something? That's what teaching feels like to me.

A fellow teacher sent this link...it was a REALLY good article about what teachers really do! Click here.

I always wanted to be a teacher - even was I was a little kid. I used to make my little sister play school with me. I would set up her desk, give her lined paper, and I would "teach" her at the front of my classroom with my chalkboard. Bless her heart. She was such a good student! Ha!

I love kids. Like...really love them. I love being around them. I love talking to them, reading to them, playing with them, and laughing with them. They are the most precious thing on this planet earth! Do kids have bad days and get annoying?! Um...have you been around little kids? But overall, kids are the biggest blessing God has given us.

I've always been around and worked with kids too. When I was little, I was the "Momma" of the little kids after church. I went to a private school that contained a daycare, elementary school, middle school, high school, and University. When I turned 16, I started working at the daycare part time during the school year and full time in the summer and winter breaks. I worked there from 16 all the way till the day I graduated from the University. Talk about some experience! I started in the 5 year old room, moved to the 2 year olds after a year, then moved to the infant room where I worked all through college. That was my favorite room to be in! Seeing as how I enjoyed working at the daycare so much, Early Childhood Education seemed to be the perfect major for me when I went to college. And it definitely was. I did really well and had the opportunity to represent the Early Childhood department (as a student) at the State Review. I loved it and became very close with the schools director of Early Ed. Best decision for my career!

I completed my student teaching in Kindergarten and ended up being hired on at the same school to teach Kindergarten in the exact same classroom! What a blessing! The teacher I was under moved to the Science Lab, so they hired me to take her place in Kindergarten. I loved it. The saying, "You learn everything you need to know in Kindergarten" is pretty much 100% accurate. We had so much fun, but then budget cuts took that position away. My amazing principal, bless his heart, saved my job and the next year I taught Reading and Math Intervention. Then a first grade position opened up, so I moved up to First and loved that too! I taught first grade for 2 years before we moved. During all of that I started and finished my Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - we had a very high Hispanic population. I loved my school in Greenville. It was a Title I school with a 96% population of free and reduced lunch. So yes, it was a rough school - little to no parent involvement, major behavior problems, a Social Worker was housed in our building, you name it - I saw it. But I loved it. That's where my heart will always be!

And all that my friends, brings me to the present. Last year in Iowa, I taught ESL (English as a Second Language) part-time and this year I am teaching second grade full time in CF. Finally!! I absolutely love my school and my grade level. My team is HILARIOUS! My team has more inside jokes than I can remember and we do nothing but laugh and crack jokes during every meeting - my stomach is always killing me from the laughing. I seriously love those 3 ladies. I can't tell you how blessed I am to have such an amazing team!

2nd grade team on Halloween! We're #1!

I don't really write too much about teaching on here, but my kiddos have been doing some fun things so I thought I would share why I love second grade so much! My class is precious and we are having so much fun together. It will be so hard to leave them in someone else's care come April when I am on maternity leave. But, I know I will be loving being at home with our sweet Baby! On to our 2nd grade happenings...