Being a teacher was not on my raider EVER. I said when I graduated from high school that would never happen. I was wrong, God had a different plan and I ran right into this gig without every realizing it was happening. I’ve always heard the best laid plans are the plans you don’t know about. If you would have told me even 10 years ago this is where I would be at Wylie Prep I would have said you were crazy. Now here I am finishing my 10th year of teaching for this wonderful school and loving it.
I was completely happy teaching private lessons. I had my own schedule and I made my own rules. When my son started school at Wylie Prep they had an art teacher that had been there for a while. I really didn’t think about teaching at the school until I got a phone call. They said that the art teacher was leaving at the end of the year. They lady on the phone said we heard you teach private art lessons and would like to know if I was interested. I went in for an interview and the rest is history.
Over the years the art classes have grown to a point that 9 years ago they had to add a teachers aid to my class. Many aides have come and gone but 3 years ago I was so blessed and got an amazing aid. The first thing Stephanie said to me was I don’t know much about art but I can learn to help you. No one to this point had ever offered to learn how they could help me. My classes are large and there have been times that art was the only enrichment class we offered so my classes filled up rather quickly at registration. As Stephanie and I started working together it seemed like we had been doing this forever. We worked well together and she fit into the madness of the art room as if she belonged there all along. Stephanie teaches other class in our Lower school program, the classes I call the smart classes like science and so on. I knew that she could handle the kids but you would have never know she didn’t have an art back ground. She rocked the teachers aid gig!
Just a few weeks into working together I realized that this was gonna be more than a working relationship, we became friends. I wanted to make a gift this year that Stephanie would love. She and I have the same taste for the shabby chic so I looked at my stash and found the perfect project. I love old wood tool totes that were hand-made by some carpenter somewhere in time. If I see one I buy it up as quick as I can. Over a year ago I bought an old tool tote that had a bad paint job. It was painted white and badly painted with drip marks and runs. I decided to sand it down and repaint it for Stephanie and then it happened. As I sanded, colors started to show, grays and yellows appeared ever so softly through the white. I started to fall in love with the shabby chic-ness and decided to leave it that way. So I stopped my sander and put it away. I finished it off with a clear coat and called it done.
This tool tote can be used in so many ways. I decided to fill it full of bathroom gifts, things Stephanie can pamper herself with. Afterwards she can use it in the kitchen to put silverware on the table or in the family room on a table to hold remotes or treats. The possibilities are endless. Ooh even at the front or back door to hold mail. Whatever she decides to do will be great and it has that shabby chic look she likes. This is a small token of a gift to let her know how much I value her as my teachers aid and a friend. I look forward to many more years hopefully working together and for sure being friends.
Tuesday would be a great day for you to show someone how much your value them. If not with a gift but with kind words. I hope that your Tuesday is a day full of life and it’s really Blue Happy!
