The Mama is More Important than the PhD

Yes, it is, at least in my life right now.

Laura made a good point in her comment in my negative post in which I blamed all my woes on the PhD (I need to address some of the issues I discussed there later). She wrote:

I wonder, too, if part of the issue for you is the kids. I find that I increasingly want more flexible work, to have time to pursue my own interests, and to spend more time with the kids.

Spot on, Laura!! She also goes on to describe the type of job that we (she is too) are looking for:

It may be that you, too, don't just want any job; you want a job that is fulfilling, flexible, and uses your tremendous skills. Those take time to find.

And so I've decided to take my time, and put my kids first at the moment. The job will come someday, I'm sure of that, but it doesn't need to be now.

So, I'm here to make an "announcement" of something that will most certainly impact our lives greatly in the next 10 months. I have decided to become a part-time teacher (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays) in my son's tiny private school. In his classroom, to be more precise (K-2, six really nice children). I don't know yet how much they are going to pay me, but it will certainly help in our budget, together with the piano classes (at least three students at the school) and my online teaching which should start within a month or so. I know it will be hard work and a learning experience for me, but I am actually thrilled that I can do it!

Before coming to the U.S. I taught English to elementary school children in Brazil, grades 2-4 for four years and a half, and I loved it! I've always been very fond of children, so I opted to teach only the first grades of elementary school rather than grades 5-8 or high school. I was literally afraid to teach those older kids, I think that I wouldn't be able to discipline them well (in Brazil these kids are wild sometimes and there are 30 of them in each classroom).

I have already talked to Kelvin about it and his first reaction was actually funny: "You don't know how to teach, mama, you're not a teacher!" and then, after I explained what I did in Brazil to him, he was totally OK with it. Linton, on the other hand, is dying to go to school with his brother, but he is very firm in declaring that his teachers are Miss M and Mrs. S! I don't know yet if he will be officially registered as a pre-K student, but he'll be there with me (or, with Mrs. S if she can have him in her classroom sometimes).

So, now I will have to become very organized, cook our meals ahead of time so we can eat them at the school, get up early to get everyone ready so we're not late, but I think we'll manage just fine! And it'll be a good "in-between" year to prepare us for whatever may happen next year. Moreover, I'll get to enjoy it with my boys, earning a bit of money on the side. It can't get better than that, really!

Edited to add: I just wanted to let you know that I added three photos to the post about Kelvin's first day of school.