Tuesday

"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, whether you like it or not."
— Thomas Henry Huxley

My junior high literature teacher used to have that quote hanging in his room, and even then, it struck a chord with me.  (Obviously, because I remember it 20-some years later!)

Tomorrow, I go to Urbana to begin training my replacement.  I don't want to leave the house at 6:45 am; I don't want to leave Jacob for 11 hours; I don't want to have a replacement; and I certainly don't want it to be her.  Spending two days a week like this for the next month makes me want to stab my eyes out. 

I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity to challenge myself.  I'm always telling my students to be professional, and I'm always telling Jacob to be a big boy.  Maybe I need to act like a professional and be a big girl and handle this situation with class and grace and patience.  Instead of responding on instinct, I'm trying to convince myself to rise above it and handle this as one of the last (and biggest) challenges of my time there.  I need to do the thing that I have to do, even though I don't like it.  I'm hoping if I go into this with the attitude of a professional doing an unpleasant job, rather than making it about me, it will make things easier.  I'm not totally there yet, but I'm trying.

Totally unrelated... we spent this morning hanging out with Kimberly and Jasper.   We had a fun time- and ate cupcakes!- and it was great to meet some new friends!