When I knew I was going to be leaving the classroom at the end of last school year, I discovered that there was lots of work to be done...starting with cleaning out 13 years of teaching supplies from my classroom. I was moving from a room that housed myself, over twenty children at any given time, and years and years of classroom materials, personal belongings, and random items I had kept "just in case". As I mentioned in my blog post on Monday...usually, "just in case" never came. I started the process of getting my room emptied just as soon as school was out. I donated. I trashed. I boxed up. And I even sold a few items. By the end of June, all that was left was a pile of tubs in the middle of the room that needed to be moved down to my new office. On the afternoon of June 29th, I started the process of transforming my new office into my own.
I started to think of my office in terms of the "zones" I would need to have. I needed:
With these goals in mind, I started the process of going through every single drawer and shelf in the office. After I had been through every piece of paper and book in the office, I started to organize what was there. Finally, I decided what items I would keep from my tubs and sent the rest home or to the donate pile. When my systems were clear, I was ready to decorate. Armed with my clearance finds from Hobby Lobby and Big Lots, the transformation was complete. So without further ado...here's my farmhouse office. The new position has been all I had dreamed of and more.
I'm so thankful for God's providence and guidance over the last several years to bring me to the place I am right now. Happy Sunday night from the farmhouse, friends. ❤️🏡❤️
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I am an over-thinker. I often complicate things that should be simple. I sometimes spend more time writing out a detailed and systematic to-do list than actually working on the task at hand. I have often created elaborate New Year's Resolution plans and intricate systems for managing my work- and home-life. These systems are almost always difficult to implement long-term.
Every day is a new day, full of surprises and challenges.
My work calendar has been filled up with meetings, webinars, and out-of-town conferences for the last few months. I knew this year would be an adjustment period, but to be honest...it's been pretty overwhelming. We've had some situations come up in my department that are uncharted territory for our district. We've had students transfer in and students transfer out. I've been working with and learning from several outside agencies. I've been reading several books about leadership and project management and not putting unrealistic expectations on yourself. Through my reading (and YouTube & blog exploration), I've come up with three goals for myself to really focus on from now until the end of this school year. Be intentional. There are a million things biding for my time every single day. I have some choices about what I allow to take my energy every time something new comes across my desk, across my phone or email inbox, or in front of my door. I have choices about when to say "yes" and when to say "no"...and I can assure you that when it comes to my family, the answer should always be "yes". I need to be intentional with my time, with my commitments, and with Mr. Farmhouse and the girls. Some days, this might look like closing my office door and pushing through the items that haven't gotten enough attention that week. Some days, it might look like closing whatever I'm working on at school and heading home right after school. Some days, it might look like laundry, dishes, and sweeping the kitchen floor. Being intentional is so important. Simplify. I have always been a "just in case" person. I'd better keep that piece of paper "just in case" we ever need it again (even though I could print if off the internet any time I want). I'd better save those toys and clothes in a tub in the basement "just in case" (even though I trashed boxes that hadn't been cracked open in over eleven years when we moved last summer). I've realized through the years, however, that I have hardly ever needed those "just in case" items! Thanks to the KonMari method, I pared down quite a few of our belongings right before we moved to the farmhouse. I tried to be very intentional in my decorating and purchases made when we moved in. I've tried to transfer a lot of my "paper clutter" from paper to digital copies. My complicated systems are now simple and intentional daily reminders...a checklist that I move through during my free time at home and school. Less is more. A simple and manageable system is so much more effective than an over-complicated and unattainable plan. One Day at a Time. At the end of the day, we can't be all things to all people. We WILL NOT mark every single item off of the "to do" list and even if we did, there would be more tasks tomorrow. We have to be intentional with how we spend our time each and every day. I wake up in the morning and do my Bible study, have some prayer time, and then I crack open my calendar app. I look at my list of the things that must get done that day on my Trello board and I schedule them into my little pockets of open time on my Google Calendar that used to be wasted. As I work through the day, I mark items off my list as I complete them and I move the tasks down through the day if something comes up that is a higher priority item. If I don't finish the tasks for the day, I have learned to forgive myself and move them to the following day. We can only do what we can do. We can do our very best... give our best effort... try to strive for perfection... and still we will fall short. We will never be "caught up"...but do you know what we can be? We can be present. We can wake up every morning renewed and full of purpose, ready to try again. We can be intentional and we can strive for the beauty of simplicity...one day at a time. Have a great week, friends. Love from the farmhouse, Hannah ❤🏡❤ This has been a year of transition. As you might remember, I have officially left the classroom and am now serving as our school district's Director of Special Services. This new position comes with some new responsibilities and of course much excitement! Since working on some of my new duties and trying to be very prepared to go into the new school year, I have realized that if I'm going to continue to be the best wife, mom, Christian, and educator that I can be, there will need to be some more changes taking place over the next year. And so...here is my second big announcement for 2018. Besides leaving my classroom, I'm also going to put the camera down in the near future.
I have been able to be a part of so many new marriages and family events.
I have spent time with people at the very beginning of their lives and with family members nearing the end of life. I have captured photos for friends and family members who are preparing for deployment or getting ready to announce a pregnancy. It has been such an honor for me to be included in these experiences. But now...it's time to slow down a bit on the home-front as I learn my new position at school. Of course, I still have some sessions and weddings scheduled for this fall and I still have some friends out there with gift cards waiting to be used, so the camera won't be put away for good...but I won't be scheduling anymore full sessions at this time. I will still have a fall mini-session to kind of close out the year and I might still do some sports' photos or other mini-sessions here and there, but I need to take a step back and focus on the family, the farmhouse, and my new responsibilities. I am beyond thankful to all of those clients who have chosen me to capture their memories through the years. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Feeling bittersweet at the farmhouse, Hannah ❤️🏡❤️ And just like that...the last school year of my teaching career is over.
You might remember a few months ago when I announced my new position as the director of special services in my current district. At the time that I agreed to this position, back in late August of last year, it seemed like a lifetime away. It seemed like there was so much more time left in my classroom. I mean, nine months is a LONG time, right? And yet, here we are...the last day of school. I'd be lying if I said I was over-joyed as I left the school parking lot today. Yes, I'm excited for my new journey, but I feel like every time a season in our lives comes to an end, there is some grieving that must take place. I have known that public education was the career choice for me ever since I can remember. There was never a time in my life that I thought of any other career choice. I can remember being preschool age and "playing school" with my dolls and stuffed animals in my bedroom. (I always tried to recruit my little brother, but it wasn't quite as enjoyable for him.) My new role is exciting and refreshing and something I am looking forward to. But in reality, there are things I am losing. Things I'm giving up. Things I am having to let go of. Building relationships with the same 20-30 kids day-in and day-out. Being able to make an impact in the daily lives of the students in my classroom. Creating lessons that are engaging and interesting for my kiddos. Spending time with some of my dearest friends all day, every day...my hallway colleagues. Yes, I know I'll still be making a difference. I know I'll still be able to connect with children. I know I'll still have an impact. I know I'll be in the same building I've been in for the last eleven years. But this afternoon, my students of nine months walked out of my room. I waved goodbye to my students and headed straight to the cafeteria to set up for the celebration we have at the end of every year. When the staff get-together was finished, I headed back to my room. I walked down a mostly empty hallway to my mostly empty classroom. And it was then that I had a few tears. Okay, I had a lot of tears. Even tonight, as I sit here typing this, I have a tear rolling down my cheek. There are a lot of things to look forward to.. There's a lot to be excited about. But there are also a lot of things to be sad about...and that's okay. I think that sometimes we feel like there's something wrong with grief. Like we shouldn't feel sad when we are moving into something that seems bigger and better. Why would I be sad about this opportunity? Why would I have a hard time moving into a position that seems so perfect for me? Well...because it's normal. It's completely natural to grieve the seasons of our lives. Change is necessary and important...but change can also be difficult and painful. So as I sit here tonight on the farmhouse front porch, watching the fireflies blinking away in the field across the road...I will just have a good cry. You might remember that I believe ugly-crying is a vitally important part of life. I will cry for the thirteen years I spent in a classroom. I will cry for the dear friends and colleagues...my teaching BFFs. I will cry for lesson planning and connecting with "that one kid" and lightbulb moments for struggling learners. I will cry for read-aloud chapter books, scented chart markers, and my favorite bright pink fake leather rolling office chair that I bought on clearance for $15 a few years ago. I will cry for my teaching partner who has become like an older brother to me over the last ten years. I will cry for the comfort and the security and the partnership that will change drastically in the near future. I will cry and I will smile. I will look back fondly on the experiences and lessons and memories that have become so important to me inside the walls of my classroom. I will clean out that classroom over the next few weeks and I will move (some of) my belongings down the hallway to my new office. I can't promise that there won't be more tears. And there's nothing wrong with that. Cherish the seasons, friends. Each of our seasons is filled with important lessons and precious memories. But grieve the seasons if you have to. Tears from the farmhouse tonight...and hope for tomorrow. Much love, "Mrs. Newkirk" ❤️🏡❤️ This is a big one, folks. This post will be unlike any post I've ever written. Yesterday, a student asked me about the situation and I decided it was probably time to let the cat out of the bag. My colleagues and my family, along with some friends, already know my big news. However, I feel like posting it on the blog makes it public knowledge and that can only mean one thing... This is really happening. After thirteen years as a teacher of one kind or another, I'll be leaving the classroom.
I wanted to be the reason that a student with special needs felt successful in the general education classroom. When my former students were asked later in life who their favorite teacher was...I wanted to make that list. I wanted my kiddos to look back on their time with Mrs. Newkirk as their teacher and say, "She played a small part of who I am today." I'm hopeful that I've been able to make a difference like this in the lives of kids and families over the last thirteen years. However, the Lord has also given me a passion for people with special needs. My parents opened up a group home for adults with disabilities when I was in upper-elementary school. What started out as four adult women with various needs living with us in our home from then until my high school years has now grown to three separate group homes in our small town, where we provide housing and community habilitation services for twelve ladies. Growing up in the group home led me to pursue a double-major in college...elementary education and special education. In fact, I started my career in the special education classroom and only transitioned into the general education classroom because of a series of crazy events that I believe the Lord orchestrated to give me general education experience, to allow me to meet and work with some of my very best friends in the world, and to give me an opportunity to touch the lives of many children over the last ten years. Almost nine years ago, I graduated with my masters degree in Education Administration. My plan was to continue teaching for several years and then hopefully find an elementary principal's job to finish out my career...but not for a looooooong while. And then, a few years ago, my principal (a mentor and friend to me) said, "Have you ever thought about going into special education administration?" Well, I hadn't really considered that and honestly didn't even want to think about going back to school. (Okay, in the interest of full disclosure...I didn't want to think about PAYING to go back to school.) However, the administrative team encouraged me to not dismiss the idea immediately, but instead to call and see what classes I would need to fulfill the requirements necessary for a job in special education administration. So in April of 2016, I called. And I needed two classes. Two. I needed one class that was offered only a 45-minute drive away, over three weekends that next summer. Three weekends that were open on our family calendar. I also needed an internship class that I could do right there in my home district with the Director of Special Services. And we could pay for them both in cash. No more student loans. That seemed easy enough. So I signed up, thinking it would be good to have options for my very distant future. I finished up the class over the summer of 2016 and finished the internship in the spring of 2017. Fast-forward to this past August...the beginning of this school year. Our superintendent calls me into his office to tell me that our current Director of Special Services is retiring at the end of the year and he would like me to be ready to present to the school board about the possibility of stepping into that position for the next school year. WHAT!?! Like NEXT YEAR!?! His idea was that I could be trained during this school year...to shadow our current director, to prepare to take that role the following August. Long story short, Mr. Farmhouse and I prayed about it. A host of family and friends prayed about it with us and for us. We had lots and lots of conversation about it. I talked for hours about the possibility to my current teaching partner. I contacted friends of mine who are special education directors for support and answers to my questions. I presented to the board. They offered me the job. And I accepted. I believe that I will be able to use my leadership skills, my passion for education, and my knowledge and experience working with my students and the adults in our group home with special needs in this new role. I believe that this is just another place that God can use me to make a difference in the lives of children and families. There are things about this transition that will not be easy.
With any transition, there will be some sorrow...some difficulty.
But there will also be joy, excitement, reflection, and new ideas. I am so thankful to be able to stay in my current district. I've grown so much as an educator and met so many people who are near and dear to my heart. I'm grateful to my principal for pushing me to go back to school, our superintendent for encouraging me to move forward, our school board for giving me this opportunity, our current special education director for training me, my mentor special education director from my alma mater, my colleagues (current and former) for believing in me, the two fourth grade teachers in my building that make up the other half of our team for offering so much encouragement this year, my teaching partner for all of his support through the years...especially this year, my friends, my family...our parents, grandparents, and siblings, my dear Mr. Farmhouse and our three sweet girls. I'm grateful for my students & their parents through all of my teaching years. For the life lessons that I have learned standing in front of that classroom. For the opportunities to grow and develop into the educator I am today. I'm just so very grateful. Life will be different here in the farmhouse in just a few short months. For now though, I'm going to enjoy the time I have left this year with my darling third graders...shaping young minds. Laughing with them and cheering with them. Helping them along and making sure to let them know how much they help me along, too. |
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