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Why I Love My Job…

If you had asked me when I was a young girl what I wanted to be when I grew up, managing a charter school was not even a thought. I mean, I knew there were different types of schools (my children would be the first to tell you that their mom went to school in a house in the country), but still, all schools were considered pretty much the same.

Only they are not.

But anyway, working in/at/near a school never crossed my mind.

And then I had children and learned how important an education was and how much more important was they way they learned and how they were taught.

And so I ended up at this little charter school in the middle of the desert instead of a ‘normal’ school in the mountains of Colorado.

Every year we start out excited, looking forward to a fresh year of how we can impact our students and their families. We wonder which kindergartener will not know their first name because “Mommy calls me Papi.” We hand out tissues and reassure those parents that their student will be ok and we promise to let them know if they are not.  We welcome back those we haven’t seen all summer, and reflect with sadness those we will miss as they have moved on.

And then, about mid year, we start winding down, trying desperately not to let the exhaustion set in, and just pushing thru to the end of the school year.

By April, the kids are done, the parents are done, and the staff? Well, some days it’s all we can do to hang in there.

But then, we begin to take a look at what we’ve accomplished this year. The mountains that the students have overcome, the bonds that have been formed, and the accomplishments that we were able to play a part in.

I love the excitement of the little ones as they shout out, “Miss Hope, Miss Hope” and share with me the birth of a new baby brother, or a game that they played in or something they ate for lunch…and well, sometimes the “ew” stuff that I probably didn’t need to know about. And then there’s the hugs, or a child who will walk up and grab my hand as we head down the hall together. Or those who stop me on the playground and ask me to play tag with them.

There’s the excitement of those who are heading over to the secondary building. They know I am there as well, so will ask questions about what they can expect, or will they still see me at lunch, or in the halls in the mornings or questions about the advisors that they haven’t gotten the chance to know yet.

And as they grow into teenagers, there’s a new type of relationship that forms; one where many won’t like that there are certain expectations that must be followed as they get older; and those that appreciate that there are certain expectations that must be followed because they have gotten older.

And finally, there are our seniors. Those who have made it all the way through and are now working on those scary, overwhelming-I-can’t-do-this senior projects. I love getting to be a part of the “yes-you-can, I’d love to help you” part of their last year with our school family.

Part of my job is planning all those fun events through the year, making them all fit together like pieces of a puzzle. And the end of the year is a final culmination of, well…everything. There’s talent shows and programs, and field days and dances.

There’s Kindergarten graduation, where those same parents who had the hardest time letting go at the beginning of the year are now beaming with pride as their students strut across the stage in the little caps. They once again wipe away the tears as they realize their children are not babies anymore, but students who will move forward each year, slowly letting go as they grow up.

And finally, there are our seniors.

I call them our seniors, because you see, we have put our everything into helping them to realize that despite it all, thru all of the hard work, sweat and tears, they can move mountains. They have come a long way from that first day of kindergarten when they first walked thru our doors, to the young adults who are ready to conquer the world as they depart thru them one final time as part of our student body.

We join the parents in beaming with pride. We join them in letting them go; in moving forward into this thing called adulthood. We look forward to their visits; to that time when they will come in and share about the new and exciting things going on in their lives.

We are exhausted and we look forward to the summer where the halls are quiet and peaceful. Thank goodness summer break has started.

This is why I love my job. Here, we can make a difference. We are part of a unique family, where we all matter. I never dreamed of working at a charter school.

Now I can’t imagine my life without it.

It’s important enough…

Today was a good day.

Over 800 students and staff, on a field, dancing their hearts out for National School Choice week.

I don’t often talk about my work life; I kind of like to keep it somewhat private, but today was a good day. Today I was reminded about what happens when you dare to dream. About perseverance and hard work, about dedication and not giving up…and most importantly, about making a difference in the 800+ lives of those around us every day, and  even more, the difference they make in us.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane.

15 years ago, I met an amazing woman. And we become the closest of friends; I cannot imagine what my life would be like without her. We have been thru everything and back together. And so, I remember when she talked about teaching, I suggested that she might like a new charter school that the Talented One had attended. At the time, my husband and I had decided to homeschool again, but it seemed a good fit for her.

A few years down the road, I was hired to be her teaching assistant. What a year that was! One of the best! We’d often have conversations of, “If I was the Director and you were the Manager, just think what we could do…”

But as the year ended, God had other plans in store for me and so I went back to being a full-time mom as we worked our way thru family issues and foster care.

And yet, a couple of years later, she did indeed, become the director. And a few months later, she found herself in need of a manager.

Yeah…I was NOT about to go down that road, despite our earlier dreams.

And yet…..that’s exactly where I found myself.

That was five years ago. And that first year was so very hard. It often felt like it was the two  of us against the world. We poured our hearts and souls into this dream of hers; this dream of mine. And before we knew it, we had taken a school that was separated into three, worn down, falling apart campuses, and brought them together into one beautiful campus.

There have been plenty of times where I have been exhausted; physically, emotionally, spiritually…from the amount of blood-sweat-tears that I, we, have poured into this place. There have been plenty of times when we have felt unappreciated, undervalued, and overwhelmed with what it takes to make it successful.

There have been a whole lot of excuses that we could come up with convincing ourselves not to do it anymore.

But it was, is, and continues to be, so very important to us. So we have found, and will continue to find our way.

I was reminded of something from a dear coworker today. She mentioned a saying that she loves, post65She talked of how what we do is so important because we’re a family and how glad she is to be part of our family.

It reminded me of a very sweet moment….one I treasure.

A little over three years ago, my amazing friend and I took a private walk around “our” new campus. We were just about to open the doors; and as we walked about, we spoke about the dream we had back then, “If I were the Director and you were the Manager…think what we could do…”

Yeah…today was a good day.

 

Educational Choice

I mentioned school projects in a previous blog. I thought I’d share.

I’m a parent who loves to be involved with her children’s lives. It’s why I spent 15 years as a stay at home mom; just as many homeschooling. I’m not putting down mom’s who choose or have to work full-time as parents. I am currently a full-time, working mom. It’s just that I was blessed enough to be able to stay home and have those moments with my children that only come once in a life time.

I witnessed their first smiles, steps, etc. When Daddy worked split shifts, we were able to spend quality time with him in the mornings and school to our heart’s content in the afternoons. When his days off fell on Sundays and Mondays, ours did, too! We were able to grab our books and take long trips with the grandparents while schooling on the road. There were days when our school uniforms were our pajamas and cuddling on the couch or laying around the living room floor was our school room. We spent holidays baking together, making crafts and gifts for others, and spending time with certain, older generation friends.

I remember being nervous the first time my oldest went to *real school.* Had I done it right? Was I going to find out he’d missed out or been harmed by our choosing to homeschool? How were things going to change? And then, I was greatly relieved when he not only succeeded at school, but managed to graduate with high honors in three years, instead of four. He was comfortable coming home and asking me to help with his homework and still wanted help with projects he had to do in school. He still wanted me involved with his education. And so, I gained the confidence to continue.

We schooled through good times and bad times; when some were healthy and some not so much. And it worked; and we are blessed.

This year, big changes happened in our family. Mom went to work full-time. I am blessed to work at a local charter school. I get to work with one of my dearest friends, and my two youngest get to attend an awesome school! One where relationships are important and it doesn’t matter what age you are. One where you don’t get bullied and people don’t care what social group you are from. One where you get to know your teacher year after year, and not just for one hour a day with 40 other kids in the room. One where, if you need help, you can ask. And one where the parent has to be involved.

This week that was hard for me; I admit it. But I do enjoy it. I love helping the Drama Queen with a project on space and listening to her practice her presentation so that she can get it right in class. I love that Daddy can go in and help her present a dry ice experiment and that making peach cobbler and sharing it with her classmates still allows her to have her parents involved in what she is doing. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not all easy. How many 5th graders do you know that can research, write an outline, make note cards, know how to make a bibliography, a power point, and write a research paper, and then, present it in front of her classmates; on a regular basis.

I love that the Smart One, who recently transferred to the school, actually looks forward to going to school again! Although the projects, and presentations, haven’t been easy for him, he’s hanging in there and getting the hang of it. He’s becoming more actively involved instead of filling out worksheet after worksheet and getting straight A’s.

Actively involved in their education; working as partners with their advisors. That’s what I love about my job. My office is right outside of the library, so I have the honor of listening in to many presentations. It’s so neat to see the visuals and hear the students share what they’ve learned as they’ve worked on their projects. It’s so neat to see them bring in visitor after visitor to come in as guests and help them with their presentations through interviews, etc. And wonderful to see the parents come in to support their children as they present.

My three oldest have gone to traditional high school. I understand that. Bboo will continue on next year so she can continue to be part of the dance team. I understand that, too. While I’d love to have her join us, she needs to know that she gets to have a choice where she receives her education. I still help her with her homework. I’ll admit it, I get frustrated with the *busy work* that she sometimes receives and am frustrated with the large classrooms and lack of interest in her personally.

I’m not saying that traditional schooling is wrong. I personally know some amazing teacher’s who are asked to somehow teach these numerous students in a small amount of time under very strict guidelines with very little pay. And these budget cuts aren’t helping. Let’s cut the budget, cut the programs and just give the already crowded classrooms even more students. I honestly don’t know how traditional teachers do it. Personally, it seems that the school systems sets the teachers and students up for failure from the beginning.

And that is where charter schools come in. It gives parents and students an opportunity to choose how they want to be educated. We still deal with budget cuts and low salaries, don’t get me wrong. But we work hard to make it a place where administration, advisors, parents, and yes…students, all work together to create leaders for the future.