Hi, my name is Karen and I'm a mother of 23.

So this past week has been parent-teacher conference week and I am on my last legs. Before actually having to do them, I never realized how incredibly exhausting they are! Having 23 conferences requires knowing tiny details about each child as if they were your only student. It requires quick thinking and wise word choice when there are some especially difficult parents. It requires coming up with creative compliments to soften the blow of a bad report card. (Your child is failing everything, but he/she certainly has wonderful handwriting....?) It takes all of that, TIMES 23!!

But really, it is emotionally and spiritually draining more than anything else. I've got kids who's parents are in jail, are workaholics, are alcoholics, have restraining orders, and who simply don't give a crap. I go home every night thinking about how I might have been the only positive influence in their lives that day, that week, that month, maybe even that year. (insert Friends theme song here) It makes me think twice about those words that I may have spoken too harshly, or that story that I didn't listen to because I thought there were more important things to do. A teacher's job is not just a job. It's a calling. Why God decided I would be a good fit for this calling is beyond me, but I know one thing....I've been blessed more than anyone can know by each of their precious faces and I wouldn't trade it for the world.


Enjoy your break Ang!!
-Kare