Life Changes... Part 2

So... I've been busy cleaning out my classroom... and saw this beautiful bear... and my eyes immediately filled with tears...

about 4 years ago, I was in my 2nd year of teaching 4th grade, and going to grad school working on my Master's in Special Ed... I had to take off work for an entire week of school in October. I made the above mentioned bear during this week in October at the Mall of America, while we were in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic. This is when my dad was diagnosed with MSA- Multiple Systems Atrophy- which is similar to a type of Parkinson's... (hence tears)

that school year was incredibly challenging for me as I drove back and forth to KC from Manhattan every weekend... as my dad's kidney and livers were failing... it was a very challenging and emotional time for me. During the month or two that my dad was in the hospital, was the first time that he ever told me that he was proud of me. this was the first of many blessings for me that year...

fast forward to a couple of months later, and I was offered a job with Lansing, I graduated with a 4.0 with my Master's degree in Special Ed, and I began the process to buy my first home in KC...

although that school year was very hectic with dad getting so sick, it pushed me to make life decisions and pushed me to move back to KC to be closer to family. best decision ever.

fast forward to now... I am wrapping up 3 years of working in Lansing. I can honestly, proudly say that I worked my butt off during those 3 years. It was by far, the toughest job I've ever done. I am going to go ahead and say the things I'm proud of while working this job... I created the Autism program. I brought autism awareness to our school. I advocated for those kiddos with everything in me. I put up with and did substantially more than what I was paid for (and even many subs in my classroom have commented to me about how I should have been paid way more for all that I did). Bottom line- I impacted the lives of over 20 boys with autism who may or may not have had the opportunity to stay in a regular school otherwise. (I also got to impact the lives of many other other kiddos in social skills groups and whole class lessons). I taught kiddos who weren't speaking, how to speak. I taught kiddos who were in pull ups, how to use the bathroom independently. I taught academics. Life Skills. Social Skills.

But most importantly, is what my boys taught me. They taught me that life is precious. That no matter what your struggle is (because we all have them), everyone deserves a chance to enjoy this thing called life and all of the wonderful things that go along with it. Because of them, I will always advocate for those with special needs... including my dad.

continuing on with this year... this was by far, the toughest year of my life... I literally thought my dad might die in September. and for those of you who don't know what that's like- let me tell you- it sucks. it's sad. it's painful. it feels like you're helpless.

on top of that, this school year was not my favorite. and to sum it up, I'll say this... the number one thing I learned professionally this year, is that supporting your staff is the most important thing. I did not feel supported. and in a job as stressful as the one I did, support is a must. I was not given the tools I needed to be successful in my position, and that is not okay. I will say that I debated all year, on whether or not I could do another year of this...

and I even got complacent after a while, and just got a lazy mindset of not wanting to put in the effort to apply at other jobs, and not wanting to leave my babies (my students)... and even though I knew I mentally and emotionally couldn't do another year of the things that occurred this year...

but... the most amazing thing is that every time I have gotten weary and uncertain in my life- God already had a plan... when I was struggling and dealing with so much during that school year that my dad was diagnosed- God had already arranged it for me to move back to KC and teach in Lansing...

and a couple months ago, when I just didn't know what to do with my life... God already had a plan... I am usually a pretty big stressball about EVERYTHING... but surprisingly, I was very calm, not worried, and unbothered throughout this process... (actually, I was so laid back about it, that my boyfriend even told me at one point, um babe I think you should try to get a job here pretty soon lol... because I had told him I wasn't worried or stressed about it, and that I had all the way until the end of August to figure out my next move... lol)

so... although I am incredibly sad to leave my babies- they are seriously the most AMAZING kids in the world!-- I am so blessed to be moving on to a new job...

God is so cool, how He works things out... I am excited to announce that I will be a Special Education teacher in Shawnee Mission School District next year! So awesome... I was invited to interview with them about a month ago... and found out a couple of days after my interview that I got the job! I got my job offer letter and signed all the paperwork a couple of days after that!

Such a blessing. I only filled out 2 job applications, and called back for interviews for both. Only did 1 interview and was hired really fast...

so... I just wanted to share all this to say... if you are uncertain about what you want to do next, God is really amazing. although I was incredibly hesitant about moving on... God already had my new job lined up.

knowing that I have a wonderful opportunity ahead, has been so amazing feeling, and I've had the most stress free- peaceful month. this has honestly been the best month I've had in a long time. probably all school year.

on a side note... back to the bear-- please keep our family in your prayers. we will be traveling to Arizona in a few weeks for a procedure for dad. prayers would be appreciated for traveling expenses, traveling grace, wisdom for the doctors, and for the trip overall.

thanks for reading...



in Him,

~LaKrystal~