Part Two

When I returned to work after my year of maternity leave, God blessed me in the teaching realm and continued to work miracles there. I started my first year as an Occassional Teacher completely unsure as to how many calls I would get. I knew I had to work a day a week to pay for daycare; two days a week would make it somewhat financially worthwhile.
And the work came… And came. Every week, I at least received one phone call. Many weeks it was four or five. There were some weeks that I complained of being “too” busy. What a problem.
At the end of the year, I received an even greater compliment. I received a phone call at home from the principal of one of my schools – most unusual, since all calls are now automated. To make a long story short, a teacher had suddenly left (for unforeseen circumstances); the principal had received specific permission from the Human Resources at the board to request and choose *any* teacher within the supply list. She immediately thought of me. I was not only given an LTO – a position that many spend years trying for – but was personally asked and sought after to take it on.
I will be honest: it was busy and difficult. Even though it was a “half time” LTO, I was still doing lessons preparations; report card assessments; dealing with a *very* challenging, busy, over-enrolled, and ethnically diverse kindergarten class; and learning the ropes of a new school, while still supply teaching on the alternate days. I was also trying to maintain home life: G was learning to push boundaries, I was pregnant with N, and Rod also had a lot going on. It was not a “long-term” lifestyle, but it was a huge boost to the self-esteem and confidence and to the resume.