Full Circle

For over 15 years, I was an instructional assistant for a local school district. It was a great part time job for me, allowed me to be home when my husband and kids were but gave me some thing to do outside that. I learned a lot, made some life long friends and enjoyed what I did a great deal. I have always been a "kid" person and this was just a great extension of that.

For the first few years of that time, I worked in a class room with first graders who weren't quite ready to be in first grade. They were too far along to re do kindergarten but needed more help. Then I move on to having groups of first graders from several classrooms that needed extra help. We did flash cards and phonics, took turns reading and worked on writing. I really enjoyed helping and seeing them learn and progress. I lived for those light bulb moments when a concept you had been working and working on all of a sudden clicked. The looks on their faces when they discovered they could read after all were wonderful.

I quit to stay home with my first grand baby when my daughter went back to work. We decided we wanted her where she was loved and not a source of income. Now I know not everyone has this option but we did and it seemed the best thing to do. It worked well. For a period of time my husband was out of work and home with the two of us. He became a big part of the whole thing. When he did find work, it was working a second and sometimes third shift, so he was here for both her and her brother when he came along. The relationship he has with the two grandchildren is something that most men can only dream about because work hours wouldn't allow them to have the time with the kids he has had.

She is now 6 and her brother is 4. She will go off to first grade in the fall and he is enrolled in a pre school at her school so they won't be part of our everyday life anymore. It's going to seem odd not to have them here every weekday but it is time for us to move on. He can retire next year and we have plans. It is time for "our" time.

Today, at story time, my grand daughter read to ME. I have come full circle, from my great aunt reading to me, to learning to read myself and developing a life long love of reading and books that I passed on to my own children by reading to them. Then, I spent the time in between my children and their children helping other children read and hopefully passing on that love, to having my grand child share books with me and finally READING TO ME.

I have been truly blessed in more ways than one.

Gratitudes:

A rather large children's book collection to share

A loving grandpa for my grandchildren

Being a rather large, important part in the lives of my two grandchildren