A Line Allows Progress, A Circle Does Not

• I had a great meeting with my director today. It's technically called a "probation" meeting (I'm still in what is officially called the "probation period" of my employment) but that makes it sounds WAY worse than it was. It was honestly a wonderful conversation. I took the time to answer the questions she gave me (albeit, the night before) and I think it my answers made me look really prepared. We talked about my experiences so far, when I explained about the struggles I've had they were well-received (rather than being thought of as slights on the center), and she shared with me about her experience as a 1st grade teacher in south Dallas. I told her my concerns about food disposal and we had a great conversation about what we can do, within the confines of the licensing laws, to diminish what we are throwing away. She complimented me on how well I'm doing in the role of a "float" teacher and explained that my position is basically a training position for when a core teaching position becomes available. Cool! She was also very receptive to my career goals, stating that they knew when they hired me that I might not be interested in staying at Towsley for the remainder of my teaching career. My thought process during this part of the conversation? "And they hired me anyways? Wait, does that mean I'm actually qualified and good at what I do? AHHH COOL!" (See posts from July 2011 when I was seriously wondering why I became a teacher.)  She told me they are happy to have me as long as possible and that she will not hesitate in giving me great recommendations. I'm so ridiculously lucky to have this job :) Plus, I got to work in one of my favorite rooms today. And one of the little girls insisted on giving me a kiss when I told her I was going home.
• On the bus ride home, I briefly started reflecting on the impact going to EMU has had on my life. I've pondered this before but the difference now is that it's impossible to imagine what life would be like if I'd attended college elsewhere. Almost everything in my life is a result of my decision to go to Eastern and the things that don't necessarily seem connected probably are.
• On a slightly more depressing note, although I've been working a full-time and 2 part-time jobs for almost 4 months, I am currently at the same financial spot I was in September...basically broke. I'm not saying this to glean pity, I just want the world to know that I think THAT IS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS.