This is a post with I'm writing with mixed emotions-- so bear with me. My sweet teacher friends are gearing up for in-service, orientations, back-to-school nights and I’m not. After four truly wonderful years of teaching Physical Education to elementary and middle schoolers, God has opened another door and I'm walking through it even though it feels as though I'm missing out on a family reunion by not returning to those familiar halls with the people who made it an absolute joy to "work."
These little ladies even have MORE personality than this picture indicates ;)
Teaching the past four years was a blast-- there’s not much convincing you have to do when you’re a P.E. teacher. You see-- most kids having been squirming in their seats all day waiting for other classes to end so that MY class can start. And I LOVE that. I love watching them master a skill that took them weeks to perfect. I love watching them fall on the floor dramatically after running half a mile convinced that their lungs were going to explode. I love knowing that they are building the foundations of lifetime activity while learning the intricacies of their bodies and how to care for them properly. I love knowing that sending them to the water fountain for a "quick drink" will solve 99% of their bumps, bruises and tears. Ok, I’m done….
It was always our (Drew's and my) plan that teaching would to be temporary for me-- my desire is to be a mom who stays home with our kids when they’re little (not an announcement). I truly believe that it is “a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires He creates.” God has given me the desire to help people navigate fitness and nutrition in a personalized way (whether they are 4 years old or 54 years old).
At the beginning of this year, I started sharing workouts in a formal way and helping with individualized nutrition-- it was a small business with the intent of a future transition after the teaching chapter formally closed, and it has grown more quickly than I planned! The past 6 months have been a learning and growing experience that I’m immensely grateful for, but teaching and juggling the growth was a trememendous amount of work this past semester and became nearly two full-time jobs. In order to maintain the quality that I refused to compromise, I’ve kept certain aspects very limited. The 1-on-1 macro coaching has had a very limited number of spots and sadly, that meant turning many people away because I knew the constraints of teaching and would not take on more than I could handle while offering them the level of interaction I desired. I’m a teacher at heart, so above anything else, I desire people to become self-sufficient through authentic learning so that they can go on and NOT depend on someone to prescribe nutrition because they have working knowledge.
The relationships that I’ve formed in an unlikely way-- granted, I’ve never met most of the women I interact with daily--remind me that there are very real lives being changed and it’s a privilege to be a small part of those “aha moments.” The classes that I enjoyed most in college are part of daily conversations. The Exercise Physiology class that I agonized over is foundational to my training guides! The Conditioning and Fitness class that involved hours of research, progress charts and personalized application to different people’s needs couldn’t be more valuable. The Exercise Nutrition classes are directly correlated to the principles found in my macro counting resources. My Kinesiology textbook (my only “B” in college) is what I refer to when giving alternative exercise modification ideas.
So I will navigate a new “normal” this year with more flexibility in my bathroom breaks and not quite as many hilarious kid stories. I’ll probably be secretly excited when teachers at my school are sick so that I get a chance to substitute teach. I asked that my name be put at the VERY TOP of the sub list because I’m already itching to see how much those kiddos have grown over the summer. I've felt twinges (ok, strong twinges) of guilt throughout this decision because in my mind: I'm letting someone down--- I'm not sure if it's my own ego of being able to handle it "all," or my students, or fellow teachers or who exactly, but it's been tougher than I thought. Most changes are tough for me..... I tend to grasp at what is familiar.....and when I say "grasp," I mean clutch with a death grip.
I wanted to take the time to let you in on this little area of my life---and please know that I’m also extremely excited to be able to focus on offering my undivided attention and time to this exciting passion: people....and making them move.
