Becoming a TROJAN.

Jesus gave me a new big girl job.

Yes, yes, yes, He did.

In the morning of December 2nd, I received a phone call alerting me to the fact that a former colleague of mine had had a stroke and my expert substitute teaching skills were in need to take care of her children until a permanent solution could be found. Before dawn on December 3rd, I was up, showered, and on my way to Trojanburg.

For the last six weeks, the majority of each of my days has been spent planning, grading, and teaching at Trojanburg in this woman's classroom. The time I spent there served to remind me just how much I missed being a teacher, how much I loved it, and also gave me some perspective on how I could balance my life so that I could make myself an effective teacher but not lose my hair from the stress of it all.

These last six weeks have been a perfect transition back into the classroom.

Since I walked out of Wildcat Kingdom in June (my intuition telling me already that I wasn't going to be going back), I have prayed as specifically as I could about my teaching career. I told Jesus that I was going to take some time off to recuperate from my first year. He and I both knew that I needed some time to get my physical, mental, and emotional health back in order and we've used these last six months to do just that. While I've been taking my break, I prayed the following prayer almost every day:
"Jesus, You know how much I love my student children and you know how much I loved teaching. But we both know that I'd be okay with never going back into the classroom. My plan is to stay out of a permanent teaching position until You tell me to do so. Here's the plan: I will know that You're telling me it's time to try this whole teaching thing again when a principal calls me and offers me a position. Deal? Deal."

I've never applied for a job. Ever. Every job that I have gotten has started with an unannounced, unprovoked phone call asking if I would like to work for that company/family/etc. My dad and my grandfather both can claim this in their professional lives. I think that it is a true sign of God's provision and faithfulness; I also believe that spiritual gifts run in families so I don't think this is any coincidence. Knowing all of this, I didn't think it was too extreme to ask Jesus to be faithful one more time and allow me the security of being in His will for my career.

While I was teaching one day, the principal at Trojanburg came into my classroom and asked for my resume. I assumed it was to validate my stay as a long-term substitute. His response, "No, ma'am. We have a position opening in January and we're planning on giving it to you."

Jesus had decided it was time for me to go back to teaching.

You want to know the cherry on the top of this sundae of awesomeness? I've always wanted to be a Trojan. Always. Since I first walked into Trojanburg as a student teacher I wanted to be there permanently. If you had asked me at any point during my teaching career what my dream job was, I would have responded, "I want to go back to the Trojans and work with the 9th grade team."

Starting tomorrow, I will be the new 9th grade English and African-American Lit teacher at Trojan High.

Jesus is so, so good.