This is getting easier.

Overheard this week:
"Where's Brian?"
"Oh, we were wondering that too. We heard he got stabbed at the skating rink."
also:
"You can't get reduced lunch unless you don't have a dad!"
It's amazing that even a 5th grader can put together the economics of having an unplanned, unwed pregnancy, but their parents can't!
That first week there was miserable. But now that I'm almost done with the second week, time is passing faster, and things are getting easier.
I planned all of the next week's Social Studies and Reading instruction- a big step for me. I even designed most of the Social Studies unit from the ground up. Last time I ever do that! No more reinventing the wheel for me.
I suppose I have probably already mentioned it, but this job is too hard for the money. I'm working harder and longer hours than a whole, whole lot of careers that would pay me a lot more. Not being paid for your time is supremely insulting. I love working with the kids, and I really enjoy most of the job. But this is not a career, and there's not a future here so far as I can see.
Maybe I could be a martyr if I was living on a trust fund, but I have a retirement to plan, and I'm capable of planning that quite well in another field.
So now my question is: what do I get my master's degree in in a few years?