Countdown to the End: Day 30

Today was a little easier. I thought students would still blame me or have a negative attitude. Turns out I think it’s indifference now, which works for me. I don’t mind the student’s indifference as much as my administrations. My superintendent was chosen as the new supt of another school district tonight. I found out through an online article that has been circling through the teachers. My friends asked me to take my resignation back, but she wasn’t the reason I’m leaving. She made it much easier to make my decision, but I realized that it's not just for my sons. It's for my husband too. Tonight my husband said to me, I want you to be happy. I was upset for the millionth time today, and I rolled my eyes thinking that it wasn’t that easy. I asked him what he wanted me to do referring to picking up toys, doing dishes, or reading a bedtime story to our son. He picked up a movie he rented from the library, my favorite, and led me upstairs to the bedroom. He wanted me to lie down and just watch the movie. When he does such sweet things I regret being not a pleasant person to him, or bringing my school problems to him. I’ve used the excuse of being under a lot of stress to relieve my guilt. For eight years my husband has chaperoned trips and drove suburbans full of students to destinations hours away just to make me happy. I was always thinking that he just did it to help kids, which is why I was a teacher. I thought we both were just trying to be good people and help kids. I think my husband is a far better partner than I am.

My husband and I chaperoning students in Indianapolis. 

Below is a list of the wonderful things my husband has done for the sake of my teaching career:

Moved away from our hometown

Quit his full time job to move

Left his friends and our families to move

Chaperoned a trip two states away with 10 students for 6 years in a row

Instructed my students on the assemble and disassemble of a Farmall H tractor that took over 2 years to complete

The Farmall finally completed

Dug up Hosta plants in 100 degree heat to save them from dying on the school grounds

Weeded the school flower bed

Used vacation days to be at field day multiple years

Dropped off substitute plans when I was too sick to go to school

Cleaned out the garage to make room for the FFA homecoming float

Made my ideas a reality: homecoming floats, welding projects, etc

Found new daycare for our sons, and drops them off and picks them up everyday

Accepts that he will be a single dad when I’m working on nights and weekends

Came up with cool ideas for my students to do in class

Drove to Ames to get emergency printer ink after our sons were asleep

Bought ink for my printer even though he despised it

Loaded and unloaded truck loads of flowers

Ran the tape measure at multiple kiddy tractor pulls

Joked around with my students to be the favorite guy

Taught me small engines, so I could teach my students

Gave me welding tips, so I could win a competition between me and the Industrial Tech teacher

This was built with scrap parts from our garage, and welded by my students. It was auctioned to raise money for a scholarship at the county fair. My husband had a lot of input in it's build.  

I started my day with a parent stopping in my room to ask me if I was leaving because of her, meaning our superintendent. I said no, I was leaving for my family. I’m not just leaving for my sons, but my husband too. He has taught me so much in my eight years of teaching that it wouldn’t be right to have said anything bad about those eight years. It would disgrace the last eight years, and dishonor my husband’s efforts. It takes a village to raise a child; well it takes an Agriculture family to make a successful program.

I know I made a good choice because my family will come first before all else.