September*

I’ve had a number of people ask me what I’m doing today.

You see, today was the first day back to school in my board. This is usually my crazy time for job and day care interviews. It’s a season of hustle and bustle that is usually pretty stressful… so this year I decided to take another route.

I’ve been hemming and hawing over what to do for months. My maternity leave officially ended with the onset of summer, so that left us with two months to make some pretty big decisions.

It’s no secret that the last year has been really hard for me. I struggled with some new demons that I am finally seeing in the review mirror. While teaching is my great passion, it’s also incredibly taxing. To be perfectly honest, I just didn’t feel ready to jump back in. I wanted more time to be at home with my kids… more time to breathe.

So, I’ve decided to extend my leave by a few months. I’m a bit sad that I missed the magic of the first day of school, but I know deep down that this was the right decision… and I am going to keep busy.

Tonight I received an admission offer to take my joint English & History Honours Specialist courses at Queen’s. I’ve wanted to get my specialist for a while now but kept putting it off because I knew I couldn’t manage it while I was teaching + raising wee babes. I’m excited and nervous to be a student again–I haven’t taken a course in YEARS, but I know that if I’m ever going to get these courses done, now’s the time.

Normally you only need to complete one honour specialist course in your main teachable area, but I’m in a bit of a special circumstance. I did a joint undergrad in both English in History, as a lot of people do. While I was in school I favored the history side of things and only took required English courses. Almost all of my electives were in History.

Of course, once I graduated and entered my career, I wound up teaching English (which has become my great love). But because I took more history courses in my undergrad, I am ONE CREDIT shy of completing a single English honours specialist course. It left me with two options: complete one more year long undergraduate English course THEN apply for the specialist, or complete the joint specialist. I haven’t touched history in some time so the allure drew me in, and here I am.

It feels strange not to be prepping for classes, but as I snuggled Prince Will before his nap today, I knew I’d made the right choice… and I feel blessed to be able to have this bit of extra time.

So, the teacher has become a student once again… wish me luck! :)