Saying No

I really want to write a post about the fantastic BBQ we had two weekends ago... but I haven't done that yet because I want to share the pictures with you and, well, I'm short on time! (surprise, surprise)  I will do it this weekend though.  The short version: it was a more than wonderful get together and I hope we'll have many more in these dark, winter months ahead. :)

Other news:  I began and quit my student teaching this past week.

Tuesday was my first day and this is how it went: I got up at 6:30 in order to shower, had breakfast, and got dressed without having to rush around like a chicken with its head cut off.  I was out the door by 7:30 and arrived at school at 8:30.  I had a coffee to wake me up after the drive in a bar nearby and started my day at Centro el Duende de La Carlota at 8:50.  Classes are from 9-1:45.  The classes were fine, cute kids, dedicated teachers...but I had the sinking feeling that I had done this all before.  Of course, being my first day they weren't just going to let me loose with the kids, but I sat through most of the classes without saying more than "hello"!

My drive home was long and relatively uneventful.  I only got stuck behind one tracktor (but that set me back at least 15 min).  The whole way home I was thinking over and over about how to get out of doing this for the next two months...  The catch has been the tuition money from the beginning.  I've already paid some 1000+ euros for the class and that's non-refundable unless there's some problem with the school.

Still, by the time I got home, at 3:05 I was about to explode.  I scared Angelines as I vented over lunch.  We both agreed this just couldn't go on.  Money aside, I can't afford to spend so much time on this, especially when I've already DONE it for four years!  I gulped down lunch, got my things for class together and then jumped in the car again to go teach four hours with my youngest students from 4-8.

Exhausted doesn't begin to describe how I felt bythe end of the day.  Angelines and I talked about it some more and decided that Wednesday I would go just to tell them I was quitting.  I sat through classes on Wenesday, said my goodbyes, appologized to the directors of the center and got home around 3:45.  My classes on Wednesdays are 5-9, so once again I was completely beat by the time my last students left.

Thursday I spent getting together the paperwork necessary for the university to study the possiblity of applying my experience as a language assistant toward my student teaching credits (cross your fingers).  I spoke with the director at the school where I worked here in La Roda and his first words were, "they'll never waive that."  But after explaining my situation, even he admitted that really I had done everything AND MORE that a student teacher would do at the school.  He has written up a letter accordingly. ;)

This is the only possible way around the stress and gas money involved in student teaching.  I've lost this semester's tuition, but my health and sanity come first.  It seems I've finally learned to say NO!