Ch Ch Ch - Changes
For the first time since starting the process to become pre-adoptive foster parents, I changed something real in my life. For the first time in a long time (maybe never), I turned down work. Not just any work - my favorite kind of work. I turned down an opportunity to teach a second class at the college this semester. Did you hear that - I turned down TEACHING! And not just any class - Interpersonal Communication - my favorite.Long before we dove head-first into this process, I had been teaching at Lexington Community College (now Bluegrass Community and Technical College). I started there a year ago, teaching 3 sections of Interpersonal Communication as adjunct faculty while I looked for full-time work. After I started full-time here at UK, I still picked up a night class here and there for the extra cash, and some play-time with the students. It was still work, but it was exciting and rewarding work. I miss being a professor - I miss the teaching part of the job. I miss the students - even the ones missing a few cards from their decks.
So, on August 24th, I will begin working 2 jobs again once the semester starts. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, I will leave work and go teach a section of Interpersonal Communication at the community college around the corner from UK. And I will be home by 8. The offer I turned down was to also teach another section on Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:15. I said "no" and explained why. I explained that I wanted to spend time with my child. My child. Baby Missing-in-Action. Baby MIA. Baby MIA will need me more than I need the extra money from teaching the second section, and will need the stimulation of a parent more than I need the stimulation of 25 undergrads. I had already committed to teach the first class - and I believe in honoring your commitments to the best of your abilities. Besides, it is only for 16 weeks, and Michael will be able to pick Baby MIA up from daycare by 5 on those days anyway. From the way it looks, we may only need several hours of childcare each day, and that is very good news. But even though Michael will be home, we may use daycare so he will be free to actually get his writing done. We will see how that goes once we have a placement.
So, I told friends at our class last night about the momentous event. One seemed confused about the magnitude, and the other seemed to readily understand. Ironically, the person who understood the most was the woman coordinating the class schedules who had asked me if I wanted the second section. She commented that she thought I had made a "wise decision considering that a child will soon arrive".
To me, this was an important change. It is a bit of a sacrifice. The extra money would have been nice - especially leading into the holidays. But I might get to give Baby MIA a bath one more night a week, or sing a bedtime song one more night a week. I guess I figured it was worth the sacrifice.
posted by No Longer In Crisis @ 8/10/2005 11:20:00 AM
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