{The Mall's Go Back to School}

Summer vacation came to end for us this past week. Normally I would add a really big sad face here but, after a fun filled vacation with only a bump or two in the road and three children who desperately needed to head back to school before they actually became completely confined to their own personal quiet spaces, I would say that only happy, ecstatic, overjoyed happy faces will be used for this occasion! Oh and did I mention that I have officially become a grown-up too??? Complete shocker, right?!?!? It’s okay to shake your head yes because honestly, I’m still in a bit of shock myself.

For those of you who don’t know, let me begin by sharing that over the summer I received the most AWESOME phone call ever. And by awesome, I pretty much mean the BEST phone call I’ve ever gotten...EVER!!! 

The principal from Kalyssa and Travin’s school called to ask me how I would feel about teaching 1^st grade. She explained that one of the first grade teachers would be on maternity leave and was planning on taking a sabbatical. When I heard her words, my mouth literally fell open. First, it was the last phone call I expected to get since I had decided to put my job search on hold. After finishing up my summer classes, Jason and I made the decision that I would put everything in to finishing my Master’s and then move on to finding a job. When I packed our bags and headed west, my plan was to sub whenever I was needed (at Stockwell of course) and jump the fast track to complete my degree. Second, she the principal was really asking me Shannon Mall to come in and work in her amazing and wonderful school!!! I tried to sound all calm and collected over the phone but honestly, I failed miserably!!! The mere thought of being able to work in the first grade wing at Stockwell had been an implausible dream of mine ever since Kalyssa first roamed the hallway as a first grader two years ago. Last year on the last day of school, I was heartbroken at the fact that Trav was moving on to second grade because I wasn’t ready to leave the first grade wing behind. Although Stockwell is truly blessed with some amazing teachers, the teachers in the first grade wing are truly one of a kind. They have inspired me, motivated me, and shown me exactly what it means to be a teacher who cares.

I can’t begin to explain how honored I feel to be able to take on this role. I know that I have some very big shoes to fill. I know that there are parents who are concerned. I know that there are little faces who might even be a little confused right now.

Am I nervous? ABSOLUTELY

Am I scared? ABSOLUTELY

But, I am also excited, happy, and ready for this new journey in my life.

I am absolutely overwhelmed by all of the love, well wishes, and support I have received from my family and friends!!! Thank you for keeping me and the rest of my crazy crew in your thoughts and in your prayers. Lord knows we will need them this year! =) I am also extremely grateful for all of the support and kindness that I have received since the announcement was made at school. I am beyond blessed to be surrounded by the best of the best in EVERY aspect of my life!!!

I suppose y’all actually want to see pictures of the first two days of school and know just how well the kids survived. Now that I rambled on about myself, let’s move on to the more important stuff!!

I did have to come to terms with the fact that we have moved up a year. I think this does require a sad face!

Middle school wasn’t as hard to take this year. I think it came down to the mere fact that I actually knew what to expect. We’ve already been working on homework over the summer and we pretty much knew what classes to expect once test scores were reveled. We just had to wait for an actual schedule and for that impending day that would require mom and dad to dump their life savings with the purchase of spirit shirts, school fees, and additional materials needed...for now.

Miss Bry is beginning her 7^th grade year as a member of the Beta team and she is very much looking forward to her studies in advanced choir. She will spend a lot of time on the road this year! So far, she is pleased with her teachers and although she was a little upset with her schedule, she is happy to be surrounded by some of her bestfriends. 

Kalyssa and Travin are back on the same side of the school again. Although they are in different wings, they are not too far from each other. I’ve had a chance to get to know both of their teachers and I can share that I am very excited for them. This year is going to be a fantastic year for the both of them. They both had lots of great things to share about the first two days of school. Miss Kalyssa loves her teacher and Trav thinks his teacher is pretty.     

    

 Day 1

  Day 2

Life with 3 kids, 1 Millie, and 1 Jay plus life as a full-time grad student kept things pretty busy around here. Now that I am a "grown-up" too, I’m not quite sure how well I will manage our family blog. My hope is to keep up with the important kid stuff on the weekends but, only time will tell. My goals have been rearranged a bit for me this year. I now have 21 other little faces to think about too.