But not me this time.

Devon is actually doing the changing this time.  Which, if you know him is utterly shocking.

And no we’re not breaking up.  I have my wedding dress, damnit, we’re down the aisle.

 

He texted me yesterday while I was doing PSAT testing with “I’m so done.  So, so done.”

I know him well enough that that statement didn’t send me into a panic, but it did make me raise an eyebrow and respond, “….with who/what, exactly?”

In my head I’m just like, can we not, have we not had enough changes and things this year?

To which he clarifies that he’s done with middle school.

Ooooooh……okay.

I knew this was coming.  He’s been pretty unhappy this year; not with his job, he loves teaching, but it’s the age group and the school he’s in that he’s done with.  He wants to move on to high school, which is always what he originally wanted, but he found this school and really enjoyed it and wound up staying awhile.  In fact this was the school he first interned in during graduate school.  He had such a great experience there that when they offered him a job he took it and has been there ever since.

But the love is gone.  And he’s ready to move on.

Like I said, for Devon, this is pretty monumental.  He is not a “mover”.  Once he’s comfortable in a place, he stays forever.  He craves comfort and stability and routine; that’s just how he is.  It’s actually one of things I really appreciate about him.  I know for some people that can sound hopelessly boring but as someone who rarely had routine or stability as a kid, it’s so nice to go into a new family with someone who is reliable and stable and comfortable.  It’s great.

When he had this “breaking point” yesterday and made this decision, I’m like, “are you sure? This means moving your classroom, new faculty and administration, losing some of the clout you’ve built at your school, starting over….you sure?”

He said yes without hesitation, so I’d say he’s ready.

And I asked him that specifically because he was already planning on trying to move to a new high school they are building in his district.  The school won’t actually be open for another two years (after this school year) but it’s in the same area that we are planning on moving to and he would love to be in a brand new school and start programs with a brand new school.  So he’s talked about that move for almost a year.

But that also means, if he changes schools at the end of this year, he’ll be changing again two years after.

For someone that doesn’t like change, that’s a lot.

But he’s determined to do that.  So, this weekend I’m going to help him get his portfolio together and all of his profile stuff done so he can upload everything to his district.  This way when internal vacancies start happening in the winter/spring, he’s already ready to go.

So, I guess we’ll soon be a household of 2 high school faculty members.  I kinda thought we might finally be done with school changes, but….I guess it’s true when you’re an educator you’re rarely ever done with that.

Maybe in a couple of years once he’s in the new school, we can say we’re done for awhile.  Maybe….Hopefully….We’ll see….