Kassie, I keep up with your stitch, but not sure what I can offer you. I will reread it tonight.
Kevin, enjoy the party!!! Do you take the girls out by themselves around their birthdays? I always admired the men who did that. Got the girls dressed up from a young age, brought them flowers, met them at the door, and took them out to eat somewhere NICE. I think that is part of how daughters learn how they are supposed to be treated. Remember the thing (story, movie, can't remember) about the dad taking the daughter to Paris, when she was sixteen because he wanted the first time she visited the City of Love to be with someone who loved her truly...her dad...
(((J))), You have no idea how much I want to be a fly on that wall. I can't even begin to tell you. C is an older female. She's very "Gottman" and is more solutions-focused than others. I like her a lot. She is a MC, but has taken me on because she agrees that it only takes one. We'll see. No drama today. Minimal contact. He says he understands. There is always a day or two of quiet and normal and then a day of rage and arguments. I see the cycle now. I'm not doing it again. I wonder if he won't make the appointment and then if I would ask him about it, he'll say "Well, you said you wanted space, so I didn't make the appt." of course I won't ask though. it's his job to do it and tell me about it. or she can call if she wants to push the issue. not me anymore.
Lastly, you don't have to get certified in California. A lot of states offer reciprocity. For instance, if I got certified in NM, Texas would honor the licensure/certification, whatever you want to call it. It is stupid, but NOT ALL states do this. So, if it is easier to get licensed in NM than TX, but TX will recognize, it might be worth considering getting licensed in NM. You get the drift.
One more thing. Go talk to several teachers first. Make them tell you the bad things. Make them tell you how some of their kids' parents truly don't care about the kid's education. Make them tell you how LITTLE some kids come to class. Make them tell you how little law there really is to back up forcing a kid to come to school. Make them tell you how often they get called names in class and threatened. Make them tell you how many pregnant teens they have in class. Make them tell you how long they stay after school to get papers graded. Make them tell you how they spend more time testing and teaching the test than actual TEACHING. Make them tell you about spineless administrations who don't back up their teachers. Make them tell you about additional duties. Make them tell you how many times they have been yelled at and cussed out by a parent with no recourse. Make them tell you how much paperwork (25 pages, here) is involved in getting a kid referred to SPED. Make them tell you about attending IEPs.
There are good things too, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I think it's a wonder anyone teaches at all with everything they have to do. Why do it? The kids. They are amazing. All of them. They all have a story, and that's the part I love the most. Their story may make me sick to my stomach, but I love it. They are survivors who put up with (the best they can) walkaway parents, addicted parents, neglectful parents, abusive parents, etc. For the most part, I see kids who are not wanted. They are not cute anymore. They don't want to go to school. They don't want to do better. And their parents either don't know WHAT to do, or don't care, or give up. And that is hard. They are just babies. They are 17 years old, just trying to find their way. And their parents can't help them because the parents can't even find THEIR own way.
I will stop now. Make sure. I think the personal rewards will outweigh the monetary rewards by far, at least for me. Good luck!! Will let ya'll know how everything goes this weekend and then IC on Monday afternoon.
Mel
"Standing knee deep in a river and dying of thirst."
