Returning Home

Tonight driving home from a swim meet Maria and I discussed recent months and my return to working outside the home.  I have recently been able to leave my job teaching at the college and I am now able to return home full time starting this week.  I will still keep tutoring a few students regularly but otherwise I will be home full time again.  For this we all are thankful. 

Maria expressed how glad she was that I would be home full time again.  Even as I worked from home much of the time having a job outside the home really changed the way our house functioned and in general it was not for the better.  We all did what we had to do and made it work the best we could.  However, all of us agree it is better I am done with outside teaching responsibilities for now.  These few months made us all realize how committed we are to having a parent home full time and why it is truly important for our family.

For a brief moment I thought about the idea of returning to school for my PhD with plans to eventually get a full time job teaching at a university when the kids were a bit older.  Now I know that is not the right path for us at this time.  Who knows where the future will bring us and I am thankful that as the need arises I am able to find a job and help the family out financially but the best help I can be is to be home full time and dedicating more of my energy to their home schooling and the overall well being of our home and family. 

I love teaching, I am an excellent teacher.  I can teach at all levels from the youngest through college.  I enjoyed parts of teaching college but overall I still feel one on one teaching and tutoring is the most effective form of education whenever it is possible.  I am thankful to be able to provide this style of education for my own children and for the students I am able to tutor.  I am thankful for the privilege to do so as well.

We always said we were committed to home schooling and to having a stay at home parent.  This year has really made us evaluate those claims and determine how much we meant them.  We have discovered we truly meant them and these are some of our highest family values and things we want to preserve about our family.  Sometimes you learn the most about yourself, your family and your values during times of hardship and trials.  The trials are hard but you come out stronger and more confident of your beliefs on the other end of them.