I'm feeling rather torn these days. Torn between deciding to take a huge leap and going back to school or putting school off till our family is a little older. Here are the things that are weighing on my mind as I (we) decide what I should do.
- ASU had a great program called iTeach Dysart starting the fall of 2014. It is essentially getting your bachelors in elementary education and special education in 16 months. During the 16 months your are in a Dysart school ( the district my kids are in) 4 days a week and in an ASU classroom one day a week. You get tons of student teaching hours and get really prepared to teach in a classroom. You work in the Dysart school district so you are almost handed a job when you leave the program. The hours are really close to what my kids have when they are in school. I even have the possibility of being at the same school that they go to. Jeremiah's work schedule is great if I did it. Piper would only need a sitter on Monday and Friday afternoons from 12:30-4 or 5. The big kids wold only need after school care on Mondays and a tiny bit on Fridays. I would come out of the program duel certified at an elementary teacher and a k12 special education teacher. Jer and I both agree that I need something that will support us if he were to be injured or be killed in the line of duty. Teaching is all I have ever wanted to do. You don't have to worry about working holidays, your breaks match up with your kids' breaks and you have the summer off to spend with family. It would be a hard and stressful 16 months but I think it would be worth it. I don't want to drag out going to school forever. I have turned in my application just need to pay a fee. My transcripts are being sent to ASU this week. I am short a few classes so I'll have to take them this year so I can get in.
- Now for the part that tears me in two. We both know our family isn't complete. There is one more Joncas baby hopefully waiting to join our family. There is no way that I will leave a little baby at home. Piper will be close to 3 when the program starts. Even though it makes me so sad to thing I won't be with her everyday I know she will be fine with her dad during the day and going to people's houses for a few hours on Monday's and Friday's. I just know I couldn't leave a baby at home. The program starts next year, then it would be 16 months after that until I would be done. That leaves such a huge gap and a wait for another baby to join our family. Going to school doesn't mean that the growth of our family would stop. It would just be put on hold for a few years until we were ready for a caboose baby. The financial aspect of going back to school is huge as well. It costs a lot of money to go to school. If I end up going I hope that grants and scholarships will pay for the bulk of it so that if we have to take out student loans they will be small. If we do take out loans I feel like I would have to work at least part time when I was done to pay them off. I think it will be close to $5k a semester.
Lots of fasting and prayer in the next year to help me make this decision. Can someone just tell me what I should do... ;)
It's a hard decision but I know you will do what's best for your family! Just so you know, I started my masters when Kennedy was 6 weeks old and 8 women in my program had babies during the 2 1/2 year program. It's a tough balance but doable. The nice thing about education as a career and as a college major is that they understand that children come first and they tend to be flexible. Praying for you!
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