We are a week in to November, and my Thirty Days are going strong. I had a great day yesterday. I'm down another 1.2lbs putting my total weight loss at 11.6lbs for the weight loss challenge. That's not a bad amount of weight lost in five weeks. I also got to watch Butter compete in his first wrestling match and he won! It was so exciting, and I was so proud of him. Peanut also had a sporting event for me to watch: Powderpuff Football. Her team didn't win, and it was FREEZING cold, but it was still fun.
Now that my quick recap is over, I can move on to what this post is really about. Another day of being thankful, and another day of sharing about some awesome people I'm blessed to have in my life. Today is all about the amazing group of ladies I get to work with each and every day.
I love my job, and you'll get to hear about that soon enough, but one of the main reasons I love my job so much is because of who I get to work with. I am blessed to work with three awesome women that help make my job fun, enjoyable, and even more meaningful. My job just wouldn't be as great as it is without having a team that are like family to me. And that's what they are, my work family.
Last year, I think I made the analogy of working with them was like working with the three bears. There's a Papa Bear, a Momma Bear, and a Baby Bear. And that's a good way of looking at it, and there's no insult to that.
They all compliment each other and have such wonderful gifts that they bring to the profession of teaching, and they are awesome friends and supporters to me. We don't always see eye to eye on everything, and definitely have mixed feelings on certain subjects, but we are able to work together in harmony accepting and supporting our individuality.
Our team leader is like a Papa Bear to me. If I have any issue, I can go to her and she'll help me out. She's strong, opinionated, and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I think of her as the glue that holds us all together. In the midst of stress and worry, she's able to pull us all through and keep us focused. She has a knack of allowing us all to vent, and having the answers to help us cope with whatever it is we're dealing with. Her brutal honestly is refreshing, because I know I can get the answers I need to questions I have and she'll give it to me straight. She is also hilarious and shares my gift of sarcasm. She was my mentor for the first two years, and she really helped me find my footing. She has never treated me like a "newbie" or thought of me as someone that didn't know what I was doing. She treats me with respect, honesty, and has always made me feel like her equal. And for that, I am truly thankful.
Then there's Momma Bear. She's the one that always has a kind word or compliment to share. She is also the one that will give me a hug if I need one, say a prayer with me over something that's happening in my life, and has an aura about her that just makes you feel at peace. I often find myself walking in to her room just to take a breath and get an encouraging smile from her, because she really does make me feel calmer by just being around her. Like Papa Bear, she can make me laugh and smile with ease. She is the type of person that would gladly give you the shirt off her back if you asked for it, and lives every moment of her day for her kiddos. She's sensitive and emotional and that comes from how much love she has in her heart. If we hear some bad news, or even some great news, she's the one that will have tears in her eyes because of the overwhelming love and loyalty she has for everyone in the building. She's also the one that will seek me out if she thinks I'm avoiding someone and find out what's going on with me. She just knows when something's on my mind, and she will make it a mission to help make me feel better. And for all of those things, I am truly thankful.
And then there's sweet Baby Bear. In my whole life on this earth, I don't think I've ever met such a sweet, sensitive, or innocent person. I don't like referring to her as "Baby Bear" because she's far from being a baby. I should call her "Little Sister Bear" because that's more like it. She's like a little sister to me. My day just can't get started without me going in to her room and having a chat about our previous evening, what we're thinking about, or how life is going. I could pretty much tell her anything, and she'll listen. We giggle together and act goofy just like sisters do. I also love the fact that she gets so freaked out about the smallest things, and comes to me often for some advice. I hope that doesn't sound bad, it's not meant to. She gets freaked out because she wants to make sure she's doing the best possible job for her kiddos, and that often worries her and makes her doubt herself. She has absolutely no reason to feel that way, but what I love is the fact that she'll often come to me to help reassure her that she's doing just fine and it makes me feel very special that she can entrust that kind of stuff with me. She's also doing the master's program with me, so I am very thankful that I get to have someone battling the work out with me so we can lean on each other. I am thankful I get to work with her every day.
The four of us together make up a perfect team. In my opinion, anyway. We each have our own opinions and ideas that we strongly believe in, yet we all respect those individual ideas. There have been times where I've worried about upsetting them because I might not want to teach something the way they're teaching it, but I've been shown that I have no reason to worry. They fully accept that I have my own way of doing things, and support me. And they hopefully know that just because I want to do something differently, I in no way, shape, or form doubt their way of doing things. They are all amazing teachers and it shows with the gains the kiddos make in their classrooms each year. They truly are amazing teachers, and they are also amazing friends.
Last year, I dabbled around with thinking I wanted a change of scenery and thought about moving up to teach a different grade level. That decision haunted me for several months, because on one hand I knew I'd love teaching an older grade level, but then I'd have to leave my team. Talk about being split right down the middle. Thankfully, I didn't move. I still say that I'd love teaching a higher grade level, because the fact of the matter is I'd love teaching just about any grade above 3rd, but I just don't know if I could handle leaving my team. I love them like family, and I don't know if I'm ready to jump ship any time soon. The desire to try another grade level has passed, and I'm perfectly content staying exactly where I am. Why mess up a good thing?
I truly believe that the people you work with have a huge hand in how much a person enjoys their job. In my case, I absolutely LOVE my job even more because of the wonderful ladies I work with. We are definitely a good team, and I enjoy every day that I get to be with them.
I am so thankful to have each of them in my life, and thankful for how much love and support they give me. I have the best job on the planet, and those wonderful ladies are a big part of that. And that is something to be truly thankful for.
Have a great Friday, everyone!!
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