MIA

Yeah… I’ve been missing for the last week, but I swear I have a good reason!

With about a day to spare in the summer, I finally found a teaching job for this year. So for the last week and a half I’ve been preparing for and welcoming three classes of Alternative Ed students to our friggin awesome facilities in Middletown, Pa.

What makes our school friggin awesome? Well, there’s the koi pond outside my classroom (inside, mind you) and the rock climbing wall that I can see from my window, but I think the coolest part is the high ropes course that occupies the other side of the converted barn that is our school. I haven’t tested the rafters and rope swing yet, but it looks like fun and the kids love it.

Alternative ed, for those of you who aren’t familiar, means that I’m working with kids who got kicked out of their regular high schools for any number of reasons. Most are on probation, many are in foster care. Some are incredibly angry. It’s challenging, and the rewards are often little moments shared with the kids willing to give you the time of day.

It’s teaching, and I love it, but it’s draining. The pay sucks, so I’ve been working pretty long days at my part-time tutoring gig to try to make up the difference.

But trust me, tumblr peeps, I still love you :)