No school today, and probably not Monday or Tuesday either. Thank you Hurricane Wilma. Actually I'm not exactly happy about missing all this school. Just goes to show how much of a teacher I've become. We will get so behind if we miss more than two days. Not good, since my principal all ready spoke to me about being behind. My prayer partner Pam (nice alliteration, huh) told me that Sue (the principal) is always talking about things like that, especially to the English teacher, because Sue used to be the English teacher, and the job is sort of her baby. But still. I was starting to get caught up, and now we're going to be even more behind! ARGH! The joys of teaching. Anyway, I'm sitting at home, and I got to sleep in for the first time in probably two months. I actually slept until 11. I thought I couldn't physically do that anymore. It was great.

School's been pretty good. The seventh grade finally finished their oral reports yesterday, which means I get to grade them this weekend. I think that I am beginning to hate these oral reports. It's pretty much an institutional assignment; my friend Faith (who is coaching volleyball with me, and is my age) had to give a fairy tale oral report when she was in junior high at PCS. But I don't exactly know what I'm doing (although I know more now than when I first gave the assignment!), and you can trust that there will be at least one big paragraph in my school reflections journal about things I want to change next year. I'm getting so much better at grammar, because I'm teaching it every single day! I don't really like grammar, and I like even less the textbook I have to use (stupid A Beka grammar!) because all the example sentences are quotes from the King James Bible. No kidding. How can a student really learn about subjects and verbs, verbals and the dreaded diagramming from sentences like "How far dost the eye of the Lord see!" More and more, I'm learning that I may never be able to teach the way I dream of teaching at this school. But I also wonder, does the school exist where I will be able to actually do reading and writing workshop? Maybe only the school in Maine where Nancy Atwell teaches, and they're not going to hire me--they have Nancy Atwell!

I am thinking a lot about what I want to do next year. I feel as though I should stay, just because I need to stick it out here two years (if only for the sake of my resume). I also love the people here--they are so welcoming, and my students love me back. I love my church. But I'm also so homesick for my family. Whenever my sisters write or call and tell me about all the cool things they're doing (Christine's going to All-State Orchestra, Christine and Deborah are in the fall play, Erin's in the orchestra), I want so badly to be able to see it. I've missed so much of their lives all ready--five years, closing in on six that I haven't lived at home. I'm praying a lot about it. Florida just seems so far away.

I do like it here. I'm not down or depressed, only occasionally frustrated. I don't want to sound things are horrible, because they're not. I'm just considering my options. Any suggestions?