Praying for God's discernment

As of this morning, I have THREE interviews next week.  I am overwhelmed by God's goodness (or maybe it's His sense of humor).

On Monday morning at 10:00, I go in for the 2nd interview for the ISS job @ the middle school.  This is the In-School Suspension classroom.  I would LOVE to do this job.  A few years ago, I would've never thought I'd like it, but I really think it would be an awesome job!  After having lived with Andrew for the past year, I know I could handle it without a problem and being able to do a little one on one with the kids who really NEED more supervision and help than the others would be cool.  Sure there are some stinkers who I'll want to pinch, but overall, I think that even those kids are the ones that just need a little something 'extra' that maybe they're not getting at home.  I watched Andrew thrive (at least part of the time) on knowing that there was someone who cared even if that meant lots of boundaries.  I think that's generally what most kids need & why they'd end up in the ISS room at all.  Anyway... I'm really stoked that I'm in the running for this at all!  I felt like the 1st interview went really well, so even if I don't get the job, I feel like an Oscar winner saying "It was a privelege just to be nominated."  Seriously, I'm tickled to have even made it this far!  I have mostly worked with younger kids and I think it would be really fun to work with older ones....without going so far as to work w/ High School kids.  (They're still a little scary to me!!)  These kids would all be Savannah's age & younger, so I know I could totally do the job & do it well!  The staff at this school seems very friendly & laid back & 'comfortable'.  I know a couple of teachers on this campus & it's where Savannah will be this Fall.  It's also only about 2 minutes from our house.  When you pull out of our street onto the Highway, you can see the driveway to this school.  It's that close.

On Tuesday at 1:35, I go in for an interview for a Title 1 job @ the elementary school.  I would really like this one, too!  In this one, I'd work one on one with kids who are getting behind.  They are not quite bad enough to fall into the special ed umbrella, but falling behind enough to need some help.  It's sort of like an on campus tutoring program.  I wouldlove to do it.  The only downside is that this job is a government funded thing & every year the funding changes, meaning that every Fall there is a chance that the job won't still be there.  That is a little nerve-wracking to think that I might be back in this same position next Fall.  However, I THINK that {IF I were to get this one}, it's guaranteed for at least this year & if the funding changes next Fall, I'd be "in" already & would have first dibs at whatever jobs come open in the school system.  It would be a great job, plus it would get my foot in the door for the possibility of doing something else later.  One upside to this one is that I'd be on the same campus with Sarah, so the opportunity to run down the hall & check on her would be there if I needed to do that.  She is absolutely my most "attached" child, so she'd probably enjoy knowing that I'm there even if I wasn't in the same room with her all the time.  This school isn't quite as close to the house as the other one, but it's still only like 5-6 minutes away.

On Wednesday at 2:45, I go in for an interview for the PPCD job @ the intermediate school.  This one would be very rewarding emotionally & spiritually.  PPCD is the Preschool Program for Children w/ Disabilities.  There is a mix of physical & mental disabilities in the room.  It's a very physical job (lifting kids into wheelchairs, changing diapers, helping to feed the kids, etc.)  This class is taught by a friend of mine & one of the other aides in the room is a friend I've known for 10 years.  So it would be both rewarding & fun to work with friends.  This campus is well known for the great staff & 'friendly' atmosphere.  It's in between the 2 other schools as far as distance goes, so it's still real close.

Boy am I torn!  If I'm offered more than one job (I know...I'm about 5 steps ahead--I might not be offered ANY of them!!), I will need some serious prayers of discernment.  I know that I could enjoy all three jobs.  I guess in the end, it will boil down to which one will work out best for my family.  I don't really know where the various principals/staff stand on that, so I guess that is something I need to figure out before I consider any of the jobs.  I need to know that they understand my family comes first and I still want to be involved, to some degree, with my kids' classes.  I know that none of them are going to let me off for EVERY little party & EVERY ceremony/musical, etc.....but knowing that I could count on being able to at least once in a while would be good.  I just don't want to walk into a job where the staff/principal is dead-set against me ever taking off for things like that.  Ya know?

Ugh......prayers, ok???  I'm gonna need them this coming week!  Decisions, decisions!