Relieved...

I have been in quite a tough situation these last couple months trying to figure out how I was going to finish school since I am having a baby in March. After this semester, I have two more semesters left until I graduate. My plan was to go to school next semester which begins in January... have my baby in the middle of the semester... come back to school and finish the next month so I would have that semester out of the way. Then all I would have left was my student teaching. My plans changed when I went to talk with the El Ed counselors. For Elementary Education majors, we have two semesters before our student teaching where we teach in the schools for one month. It is called our practicum. This semester my practicum is the entire month of November and next semester my practicum is the entire month of March. The practicum is very intense and they require you to be teaching in the classroom everyday. If you miss more than one day you cannot pass. Since baby Jett is due in March my plan to go to school Winter semester wasn't going to work unless I had the baby and came back to school the next day. That would be extremely hard for many different reasons. Not only being in pain but leaving my baby the day after he or she is born. My counselor suggested I defer Winter semester and apply for fast track. If I applied for fast track I would go to school during the summer and spring right after the baby was born. Then I would do my student teaching in the fall. When she told me this I couldn't imagine doing this. The baby would only be one month old and I would be gone Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. Stephen would have to work full time to save up money to prepare to start Law school in the fall. That means I would have to hire some random person to watch our baby full time. I just don't think I could do this and be happy. I would be gone all day... and then when I am back from school I would have to make lesson plans and prepare for the next day of teaching. I felt so torn... should I finish my degree or be a mom? Being a mom has always been my number one priority but if I don't get my El Ed degree in the next year I will have to re-apply to the program because they are changing it. I didn't know what to do... I felt so frustrated and I hated the thought of being away from home for the first 8 months of my child's life. If only I could go to school winter semester... then all I would have left after the baby was born was my student teaching.

Soooo... here is my good news. I was determined on making my plan work. I was assigned to teach in the Nebo school district so I went to the lady over the entire school and told her my predicament. I asked if there was anything I could do to go to school next semester instead of defer. I told her I would make up everyday I missed from having the baby and I would turn in all my assignments on the correct due date. She was a little hesitant to break the rules but she said she would make it work for me. I am going to make up days in the practicum before I even miss them... if that makes sense. I will start teaching in the schools before everyone else so once I have the baby I will have a week or two before I have to go back to school. I am so grateful that she was willing to work with me. I feel like it is such a blessing! I have gotten this far in my education and I can't stop now. Once I have the baby I will just have my student teaching and then I will be DONE! The thought of that sounds so good. Then I can be a stay at home Mom... like I have always wanted. :)

-If anyone read that entire thing... I am proud. Sorry it is SO long! haha ;)